Fecundity as a Basis for Risk Assessment of Nonindigenous Freshwater Molluscs

Abstract:  The most efficient way to reduce future damages from nonindigenous species is to prevent the introduction of harmful species. Although ecologists have long sought to predict the identity of such species, recent methodological advances promise success where previous attempts failed. We applied recently developed risk assessment approaches to nonindigenous freshwater molluscs at two geographic scales: the Laurentian Great Lakes basin and the 48 contiguous states of the United States. We used data on natural history and biogeography to discriminate between established freshwater molluscs that are benign and those that constitute nuisances (i.e., cause environmental and/or economic damage). Two statistical techniques, logistic regression and categorical tree analysis, showed that nuisance status was positively associated with fecundity. Other aspects of natural history and biogeography did not significantly affect likelihood of becoming a nuisance. We then used the derived statistical models to predict the chance that 15 mollusc species not yet in natural ecosystems would cause damage if they become established. We also tested whether time since establishment is related to the likelihood that nonindigenous mollusc species in the Great Lakes and United States would cause negative impacts. No significant relationship was evident at the U.S. scale, but recently established molluscs within the Great Lakes were more likely to cause negative impacts. This may reflect changing environmental conditions, changing patterns of trade, or may be an indication of "invasional meltdown." Our quantitative analyses could be extended to other taxa and ecosystems and offer a number of improvements over the qualitative risk assessments currently used by U.S. (and other) government agencies.     

Ecological Networks as Conceptual Frameworks or Operational Tools in Conservation

Abstract:  The establishment of ecological networks (ENs) has been proposed as an ideal way to counteract the increasing fragmentation of natural ecosystems and as a necessary complement to the establishment of protected areas for biodiversity conservation. This conservation tool, which comprises core areas, corridors, and buffer areas, has attracted the attention of several national and European institutions. It is thought that ENs can connect habitat patches and thus enable species to move across unsuitable areas. In Europe, however, ENs are proposed as an oversimplification of complex ecological concepts, and we maintain that they are of limited use for biodiversity conservation for several reasons. The ENs are species specific and operate on species-dependent scales. In addition, the information needed for their implementation is only available for a handful of species. To overcome these limitations, ENs have been proposed on a landscape scale (and for selected "focal" species), but there is no indication that the structural composition of core areas, corridors, and buffer areas could ensure the functional connectivity and improve the viability of more than a few species. The theory behind ENs fails to provide sufficient practical information on how to build them (e.g., width, shape, structure, content). In fact, no EN so far has been validated in practice (ensuring connectivity and increasing overall biodiversity conservation), and there are no signs that validation will be possible in the near future. In view of these limitations, it is difficult to justify spending economic and political resources on building systems that are at best working hypotheses that cannot be evaluated on a practical level.     

常张高速公路岩石边坡仿原生态植被恢复技术的应用研究

介绍了常张高速公路岩石边坡仿原生态植被恢复技术的施工工艺、新型的生态防护技术与传统的边坡防护相比较,具有投资省、见效快,且能稳定表层边坡,综合造价仅为客土喷播植草的50%～60%,能在短期内使边坡整体环境景观效果与周边协调一致,尤其适宜于对客土喷播植草难以成活的极陡边坡(坡率大于1∶0.75)的生态防护,探索出了一条适合我省实际情况的且成本低、效果好的新的生态防护模式.仿原生态植被恢复技术是常张高速公路生态防护措施的典型代表,对今后我省山区高速公路生态防护建设具有一定的指导意义.     

徐州市景观生态调控途径

从全新的角度提出了城市景观生态调控的概念。在分析了徐州市景观现状和问题的基础上,根据调控理念和调控目标,从空间、技术、政策3个方面提出了4个调控途径10个调控措施,从而可以在一定程度上缓解徐州可持续发展中的景观生态瓶颈问题,并为其它城市解决景观问题提供借鉴。     

Window Sensitivity Functions for Line Transect Sampling

L and width 2w, then by a selection of viewing window is meant a choice of w, with the intent being to search for optimal viewing windows, with the goal in mind of improving variances of estimators of population density, reducing sampling effort, while maintaining the property of unbiasedness. The notions of increasing window sensitivity (IWS) and decreasing window sensitivity (DWS) are introduced, and a method of deriving confidence intervals is discussed.     

乌海市发展循环经济初探

乌海市是资源型城市，生态环境恶劣，资源短缺将成为乌海市可持续发展的瓶颈，而大力发展循环经济将是破解这一瓶颈的唯一途径，也是乌海市未来社会经济持续增长的核心因素。本文旨在探讨中小型资源城市发展循环经济，在企业、园区、区域三个层面努力构建循环经济体系。     

Rapid ecotoxicological assessment of heavy metal combined polluted soil using canonical analysis

IntroductionElevatedconcentrationofheavymetalssuchascopperandcadmiumexistinmanyagriculturalsoilsfromminingactivities(Chen ,2 0 0 0 ;Dudka ,1 997;Lambert,1 997)andfrommanagementpracticesincludingirrigationwithsewageandutilizationofsewagesludge(Clapp ,1 994) .Onceheavymetalsenteredintosoils,regardlessthesources,theywouldnotonlybeaccumulatedbyorganisms,butalsocirculateinthefoodchain (Uhlig ,2 0 0 0 ;Barcan ,1 998) .Furthermore ,theirramificationwouldberetainedinsoilecosystemwithtoxicconcentrati…     

采煤塌陷地复垦的环境经济分析——以开滦煤矿为例

将环境经济学引入复垦活动的分析和评价，着重考虑了复垦的生态社会效益，复垦土地资源的价值、市场价格变化对复垦经济收益的影响和复垦效益对时间的依赖性，以期为复垦项目的选择和相关政策的制定提供经济方面的依赖和指导。     

安徽省宁国市元竹枯死原因与防治对策研究

文章探讨了安徽省宁国市中溪镇元竹大面积枯死的原因.在现场调查、污染监测和综合分析的基础上,排除了污染、病虫害致死和元竹而开花死亡的可能性,得出该区元竹枯死是由于非污染生态工程道路改建、水利水电工程和河道采砂等人为活动所导致元竹区的局部生态系统破坏,致使该区地下水位的不正常变动,从而引起大面积不规则分布的元竹干枯或浸泡死亡.文中最后根据该区生态环境状况,给出了防治元竹枯死的生态对策与建议,为防治其它地区的元竹枯死提供了参考和经验.     

广西红树林资源与保护

广西的红树林现有面积为8374.9 hm2,分布于北海市、钦州市和防城港市.红树植物有15种,其中真红树植物11种,半红树植物5种,无瓣海桑为人工引种.红树林的建群种主要有白骨壤、桐花树、秋茄、红海榄、木榄、海漆、老鼠筋和银叶树8种,主要群落可划分为8个群系,15个群落类型.红树林是广西的优势海洋资源之一,其动植物资源潜力大,生态景观旅游价值高,同时是良好的生态养殖场所.如何合理利用红树林资源,本文提出了针对性的建议.