Recovery of Faunal Communities During Tropical Forest Regeneration

Abstract:  As mature tropical forests are cleared, secondary forests may play an important role in the conservation of animal species, depending on how fast animal communities recover during forest regeneration. I reviewed published studies on the recovery of animal species richness and composition during tropical forest regeneration. In 38 of the 39 data sets I examined, conversion of forest to agriculture or pasture substantially reduced species richness. Given suitable conditions for forest recovery, the species richness of the animal taxa considered can be predicted to resemble that of mature forests roughly 20–40 years after land abandonment. At least for ants and birds, however, recovery of species composition appears to take substantially longer than recovery of species richness. Because species richness for many taxa appears to recover relatively rapidly in secondary forests, conservation of secondary forests may be an effective investment in future diversity. The slower recovery of species composition indicates, however, that some species will require stands of mature forest to persist.     

土壤种子库研究的几个热点问题

土壤种子库是指存在于土壤表层凋落物和土壤中全部活性种子的总和。土壤中有活性的种子是植物群落的一部分,是新植株的来源。土壤种子库可以分为瞬时土壤种子库和持久土壤种子库。随着群落生态学的发展,土壤种子库的研究已经成为植物生态学重要的一部分,研究内容主要包括:(1)土壤种子库的组成和分布;(2)土壤种子库的动态;(3)地上植被与土壤种子库的关系;(4)干扰对土壤种子库的作用;(5)土壤种子库在生态恢复中的作用。文章在对目前土壤种子库的研究方法、主要研究内容方面总结的基础上,认为土壤种子库在合适的干扰作用下对退化生态系统的恢复以及植被更新发挥重要的作用,同时需进一步加强对这一过程中种子萌发、幼苗建立限制因素的研究。     

Specific Conductance and pH as Indicators of Watershed Disturbance in Streams of the New Jersey Pinelands, USA

/ We used linear regression to independently and jointly relate specific conductance and pH measured at New Jersey Pinelands stream sites to the percentage of altered land in a watershed. Percentage altered land included developed and agricultural land uses and represented watershed disturbance for a given site. Median values calculated for a 2-year period (September 1992 through August 1994) characterized pH and specific conductance at the study sites. We found the relationships between the median values for both water-quality measures and percentage altered land for a site to be consistent across subregion and dominant altered-land use. Our results also demonstrated that the water-quality/altered-land relationships developed using median values were similar to relationships developed using data from any single-sample period within the entire study period. Individually, pH and specific conductance explained 48% and 56%, respectively, of the variability in watershed disturbance among study sites. The joint use of pH and specific conductance explained 79% of the watershed disturbance variability among sites. The joint use of these easily obtained water-quality measures can provide a quick assessment of instream water-quality impacts from upstream watershed disturbance at any Pinelands stream site. Additionally, a range in pH and specific conductance, and hence a range in ambient water quality, can be predicted for a given altered-land percentage or a change in existing altered-land conditions.     

基于剪切梁理论的爆破扰动对巷道顶板稳定性影响研究

厚煤层沿底布置巷道顶板维护难度较大,从爆破扰动影响顶板稳定性的角度对此进行了研究.在分析爆破应力波远区破坏效应的基础上,建立了沿底布置巷道顶板的剪切梁模型,依此研究了顶板煤、岩体的水平位移及应力分布规律,最后以某矿地质条件为原型利用Flac3D数值软件进行了模拟研究.研究发现:基于爆破应力波的远区破坏效应,沿底布置巷道的顶板煤层与上覆岩层的相对错动可以用剪切梁理论加以分析.基于此得到了厚煤层巷道顶板中煤层与岩层单调加载过程及循环加载条件下的位移及应力分布,单次爆破对顶板的影响有限,多次扰动的累积效应会对其产生一定程度的损伤.模拟中,随着装药量的增加,沿底布置巷道顶板煤、岩体的水平位移随之增加,且煤体的位移量大于岩体;持续扰动条件下,煤、岩体的水平位移均出现了累加效应,且随着动力扰动作用次数的增加,煤、岩体的相对错动逐渐增大,容易产生顶板离层垮落等动力灾害.研究成果对加强扰动作用下顶板的支护管理具有一定的理论与指导意义.     

Simulating dynamic and mixed-severity fire regimes: A process-based fire extension for LANDIS-II

Fire regimes result from reciprocal interactions between vegetation and fire that may be further affected by other disturbances, including climate, landform, and terrain. In this paper, we describe fire and fuel extensions for the forest landscape simulation model, LANDIS-II, that allow dynamic interactions among fire, vegetation, climate, and landscape structure, and incorporate realistic fire characteristics (shapes, distributions, and effects) that can vary within and between fire events. We demonstrate the capabilities of the new extensions using two case study examples with very different ecosystem characteristics: a boreal forest system from central Labrador, Canada, and a mixed conifer system from the Sierra Nevada Mountains (California, USA). In Labrador, comparison between the more complex dynamic fire extension and a classic fire simulator based on a simple fire size distribution showed little difference in terms of mean fire rotation and potential severity, but cumulative burn patterns created by the dynamic fire extension were more heterogeneous due to feedback between fuel types and fire behavior. Simulations in the Sierra Nevada indicated that burn patterns were responsive to topographic features, fuel types, and an extreme weather scenario, although the magnitude of responses depended on elevation. In both study areas, simulated fire size and resulting fire rotation intervals were moderately sensitive to parameters controlling the curvilinear response between fire spread and weather, as well as to the assumptions underlying the correlation between weather conditions and fire duration. Potential fire severity was more variable within the Sierra Nevada landscape and also was more sensitive to the correlation between weather conditions and fire duration. The fire modeling approach described here should be applicable to questions related to climate change and disturbance interactions, particularly within locations characterized by steep topography, where temporally or spatially dynamic vegetation significantly influences spread rates, where fire severity is variable, and where multiple disturbance types of varying severities are common.     

Coupling urban 3-D information and circuit theory to advance the development of urban ecological networks

Ongoing, rapid urban growth accompanied by habitat fragmentation and loss challenges biodiversity conservation and leads to decreases in ecosystem services. Application of the concept of ecological networks in the preservation and restoration of connections among isolated patches of natural areas is a powerful conservation strategy. However, previous approaches often failed to objectively consider the impacts of complex 3-D city environments on ecological niches. We used airborne lidar-derived information on the 3-D structure of the built environment and vegetation and detailed land use and cover data to characterize habitat quality, niche diversity, and human disturbance and to predict habitat connectivity among 38 identified habitat core areas (HCAs) in Nanjing, China. We used circuit theory and Linkage Mapper to create a landscape resistance layer, simulate habitat connectivity, and identify and prioritize important corridors. We mapped 64 links by using current flow centrality to evaluate each HCA's contribution and the links that facilitate intact connectivity. Values were highest for HCA links located in the west, south, and northeast of the study area, where natural forests with complex 3-D structures predominate. Two smaller HCA areas had high centrality scores relative to their extents, which means they could act as important stepping stones in connectivity planning. The mapped pinch-point regions had narrow and fragile links among the HCAs, suggesting they require special protection. The barriers with the highest impact scores were mainly located at the HCA connections to Purple Mountain and, based on these high scores, are more likely to indicate important locations that can be restored to improve potential connections. Our novel framework allowed us to sufficiently convey spatially explicit information to identify targets for habitat restoration and potential pathways for species movement and dispersal. Such information is critical for assessing existing or potential habitats and corridors and developing strategic plans to balance habitat conservation and other land uses based on scientifically informed connectivity planning and implementation.     

煤巷顶板围岩结构承载能力弱化分析

为了揭示煤巷顶板围岩承载能力的弱化机理，结合已有的研究成果，建立巷道顶板三向承载梁结构承载弹塑流弱化分析模型，确定三向承载梁结构承载状态的分析方法，提出用围岩塑性区深度、宽度、长度作为评价巷道围岩承载的弱化分析指标，研究围岩性质、支护强度、采动应用等诱导因子对煤巷顶板结构承载能力弱化分析指标的影响规律。研究结果表明:随着围岩强度的提高、支护强度的增加、扰动应力的减小，弱化分析指标呈似线性减小的变化规律，且减幅由大到小排序为塑性区长度Sy，宽度Sx和深度Sz，同时提高围岩强度、支护强度，减小采动作用应力，煤巷顶板弱化分析指标的减小程度显著高于单因子的改善。     

空气扰动对净化器去除香烟源颗粒物性能的影响

空气净化器可有效改善雾霾天气下室内空气质量,颗粒物去除效果与洁净空气量(CADR)是衡量其性能的主要参数。在典型室内环境下,以香烟源颗粒物为目标,开展空气扰动对净化器去除颗粒物效果和CADR的影响实验与评价分析。结果显示,在室内空气扰动下,净化器对粒径≥5μm的颗粒物去除率为75.6%,在无空气扰动情况下的去除率为46.6%。空气净化器对粒径0.3μm^5μm的颗粒物有较好的去除效果,而对于粒径10μm的较大颗粒物,空气扰动造成CADR增加。空气扰动在一定程度上提升了空气净化器的净化能力,同时在性能方面也存在影响。     

区域土地整理对生态系统的影响及补偿

为了降低土地整理对生态系统影响的负面效应,提出了生态补偿的经济措施、社会措施和生态措施.结合国家投资土地整理重点项目的规划设计,重点讨论了土地整理生态补偿的生态措施,主要通过农地平整工程设计、道路工程设计、农田灌排工程设计的生态学方法及生态边界设计等来实现.     

六盘山生态旅游区旅游步道对人类践踏干扰的响应研究

从生态系统响应和游客主观认知的双重视角,对六盘山旅游区旅游步道对人类旅游践踏干扰的响应进行了研究。结果表明:①自然状态下旅游践踏干扰主要集中在旅游步道边缘1~3m范围内,但不同生态系统差异较大。在调查的3个景区中,小南川景区乔灌草生态统主要集中在旅游步道1m左右;凉殿峡景区高山草甸生态系统集中在1~2m之间;野荷谷景区华北落叶松林下生态系统则达到3m左右;②采用地表覆盖物响应指数(Index of Land Cover Impact,ILCI)和游客可接受改变限度(Limits of Acceptable Change,LAC)来衡量受干扰旅游步道响应程度,在1m范围内各调查样区ILCI均达到4级或5级严重冲击程度;1~2m间以凉殿峡景区ILCI值较高(39%),介于1~2级之间,而小南川与野荷谷景区ILCI值属1级轻微影响;3m及以外三者影响基本较小。游客对游道沿线土壤裸露度可接受改变限度为55.7%,3个调查样区1m范围内植被覆盖减少率(CR)均超过此水平;③调查样区旅游步道响应强弱与游道坡度、边坡坡度以及游道宽度具有一定相关性;④地表覆盖物响应指数因与其它各响应变量间显著相关,可作为评估旅游干扰系统响应的一项简易而有效的指标。研究结果也表明,目前旅游践踏干扰已对游道沿线环境以及游客游憩体验产生了一定的负面影响。因此,改变目前景区开发无序状态,加强旅游步道规划设计和游客行为规范,建立长期环境监测系统,将对制定防治游憩冲击策略,促进六盘山生态旅游区可持续发展具有重要指导价值。