Effectiveness of Panama as an intercontinental land bridge for large mammals

Habitat fragmentation is a primary driver of wildlife loss, and establishment of biological corridors is a common strategy to mitigate this problem. A flagship example is the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC), which aims to connect protected forest areas between Mexico and Panama to allow dispersal and gene flow of forest organisms. Because forests across Central America have continued to degrade, the functioning of the MBC has been questioned, but reliable estimates of species occurrence were unavailable. Large mammals are suitable indicators of forest functioning, so we assessed their conservation status across the Isthmus of Panama, the narrowest section of the MBC. We used large-scale camera-trap surveys and hierarchical multispecies occupancy models in a Bayesian framework to estimate the occupancy of 9 medium to large mammals and developed an occupancy-weighted connectivity metric to evaluate species-specific functional connectivity. White-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari), jaguar (Panthera onca), giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and tapir (Tapirus bairdii) had low expected occupancy along the MBC in Panama. Puma (Puma concolor), red brocket deer (Mazama temama), ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), and collared peccary (Pecari tajacu), which are more adaptable, had higher occupancy, even in areas with low forest cover near infrastructure. However, the majority of species were subject to ≥1 gap that was larger than their known dispersal distances, suggesting poor connectivity along the MBC in Panama. Based on our results, forests in Darien, Donoso–Santa Fe, and La Amistad International Park are critical for survival of large terrestrial mammals in Panama and 2 areas need restoration.     

Validating graph-based connectivity models with independent presence–absence and genetic data sets

Habitat connectivity is a key objective of current conservation policies and is commonly modeled by landscape graphs (i.e., sets of habitat patches [nodes] connected by potential dispersal paths [links]). These graphs are often built based on expert opinion or species distribution models (SDMs) and therefore lack empirical validation from data more closely reflecting functional connectivity. Accordingly, we tested whether landscape graphs reflect how habitat connectivity influences gene flow, which is one of the main ecoevolutionary processes. To that purpose, we modeled the habitat network of a forest bird (plumbeous warbler [Setophaga plumbea]) on Guadeloupe with graphs based on expert opinion, Jacobs’ specialization indices, and an SDM. We used genetic data (712 birds from 27 populations) to compute local genetic indices and pairwise genetic distances. Finally, we assessed the relationships between genetic distances or indices and cost distances or connectivity metrics with maximum-likelihood population-effects distance models and Spearman correlations between metrics. Overall, the landscape graphs reliably reflected the influence of connectivity on population genetic structure; validation R² was up to 0.30 and correlation coefficients were up to 0.71. Yet, the relationship among graph ecological relevance, data requirements, and construction and analysis methods was not straightforward because the graph based on the most complex construction method (species distribution modeling) sometimes had less ecological relevance than the others. Cross-validation methods and sensitivity analyzes allowed us to make the advantages and limitations of each construction method spatially explicit. We confirmed the relevance of landscape graphs for conservation modeling but recommend a case-specific consideration of the cost-effectiveness of their construction methods. We hope the replication of independent validation approaches across species and landscapes will strengthen the ecological relevance of connectivity models.     

库布齐沙漠典型地区景观变化研究

Spatial pattern analysis is the core component in landscape ecology research. We analyzed the landscape pattern and dynamic process of the Kubuqi Desert by using a typical region as a study area. This study area includes four towns: ShuLinZhao, WangAiZhao, BaiNiJing and JiGeSiTai. The area of cropland, fixed sand dune, woodland, residential area and wetland increased and centralized gradually, while the area of semi-fixed sand dune, drifting sand dune, meadow and washland decreased and dispersed gradually from 1987 to 2003. On the landscape level, the patch shape tended to be regular, and the landscape pattern tended to be simple, causing the fragmentation degree, heterogeneity and diversity of the landscape to decrease. Fixed sand dune, Semi-fixed sand dune, drifting sand dune, meadow and river flood plains were the five main export classes, and residential area, cropland and wetland were the three main import classes. The classes that had a relatively large total area and large average patch area had a smaller extent of gravity center migration, whereas the classes with small total area and small average patch area had a larger extent of gravity center migration; this is because the small patches are easily influenced by human activities or natural factors. In addition, the desertification area and desertification degree reduced gradually in the study area during the period from 1987 to 2003.     

土地利用变化对湿地景观连通性的影响及连通性优化效应——以江苏盐城海滨湿地为例

土地利用与土地覆盖变化对湿地景观的结构和功能产生深刻的影响。选择江苏盐城海滨地区为研究对象,应用遥感和地理信息系统技术,分析20年来土地利用变化对湿地景观连通性的影响,并以2007年湿地景观生态系统服务功能为基础,采用阻力面模型探讨湿地景观连通性优化途径及其效应。结果显示:①1987—2007年间,盐城海滨区域土地利用结构变化显著。其中耕地面积比重由36.72%上升为46.17%,自然湿地持续减少,面积由44.4%减为26.01%,人工湿地持续增加,面积由9.96%上升为18.72%;②随着区域人类土地利用活动的加强,光滩、碱蓬沼泽和芦苇沼泽的空间连通性降低,区域土地利用导致湿地景观之间生态流阻隔,景观生态服务功能减弱;③2007年湿地景观生态功能强度空间差异显著,以累积耗费距离面、生态源地、耗费路径为依据,对湿地景观连通路径优化结果表明,废黄河口和大丰港附近等关键区域对景观连通性和生态流影响最大,是景观生态节点优化的首要对象;④加强连通路径的关键区域优化、提高景观连通度是实现景观优化的关键。     

论景观非生态功能的含义及评价技术

随着对现代环境问题之综合性特征的认识不断深入,景观规划理论及评价技术研究在国际上渐成热点。在我国,相对于景观生态功能,景观非生态功能的研究,尤其是其评价技术的研究刚刚起步,景观非生态功能对于文化传承及和谐社会和两型社会建设的积极意义未得到足够的重视。本文由景观非生态功能的含义出发,探讨其在自然与环境保护政策中所应具有的地位,以及保护开发过程中存在的主要问题。在总结回顾国内外景观非生态功能研究成果的基础上,明确景观非生态功能评价技术研究的重点领域和方向。文章最后,总结性描述了一个最新的景观非生态功能评价理论模型研究成果,讨论并提出我国景观非生态功能研究发展的重要方向。     

华北油田二连分公司蒙古林作业区生态环境质量状况研究

本文选取二连油田蒙古林作业区生态环境质量为研究对象,对该区域内的土地利用／覆盖状况、植被状况、景观类型及其破碎度进行定性、定量研究。结果表明：（1）2008年,该区域土地利用类型主要为有林地、中覆盖度草地、低覆盖度草地、工矿交通建设用地和盐碱地等;工交建设占地明显。（2）该区2008年主要植物群落类型有：克氏针茅＋羊草＋杂类草、克氏针茅＋锦鸡儿＋杂类草、羊草＋针茅＋杂类草等;受到气候变暖等原因影响,小针茅已经在本区广泛分布。（3）该区2008年主要景观类型为针茅＋锦鸡儿草原景观、针茅草原景观、羊草草原景观、林地景观、人工建设区景观和道路景观;景观破碎度较高,人为干扰较为严重。建议相关单位足够重视并采取切实可行的措施,防止本区生态环境恶化。     

青藏铁路格望段工程生态影响的主要特征：线型切割

线型工程是主要的生态类项目之一,随着各类线型工程迅速增加,其引发的生态影响已经逐渐暴露出来。本文分析了线型切割影响的提出背景以及景观生态学在研究线型工程生态影响中的应用。并以青藏铁路格望段为例,分析了线型切割作用的具体表现,主要包括：阻断能流、物流、物种流;阻断生态用水;阻断野生动物迁徙通道;造成景观破碎化。同时,针对不同的切割影响提出了相应防护对策,包括修建排水建筑物、生物通道、树篙廊道等。     

基于景观生态学的生态功能区划研究——以重庆市长寿区为例

针对目前生态功能区划仅从区域生态要素、生态敏感性与生态服务功能空间分异规律等方面考虑,而很少涉及景观格局特征与景观稳定度等景观生态学的内容;文章在景观生态学理论基础上,提出一套基于景观生态学的区域生态功能区划理论;一方面有助于生态功能小区的划分;另一方面可以弥补原有生态保育措施只考虑生态敏感性和生态服务功能重要性的不足,从景观生态学角度提出具有针对性的生态保育措施。文章将所建立的理论与方法用于重庆市长寿区生态功能区划,区划结果为:将重庆市长寿区划分为3个生态亚区,9个生态功能区和21个生态功能小区,与未考虑景观稳定度的生态功能区划相比,考虑景观稳定度的生态功能区划多了四个生态功能小区,而这四个生态功能小区的划出,有助于进一步针对具体问题,从生态学和景观生态学的角度提出生态保育措施,对重庆市长寿区环境保护和生态建设具有重要的指导意义。     

浅议住宅小区水景的生态设计

结合大量文献描述,分析了水景现状、景观现状、水景功能以及存在的问题,讨论了水景设计的技巧和原则。     

牛栏江流域景观格局分析

针对牛栏江流域云南段,基于遥感监测所获得的植被覆盖斑块信息,就该地区景观格局进行分析研究。结果表明：研究区内景观类型丰富,不同景观类型斑块大小的平均水平,以及斑块密度差异明显;流域内景观受人为干扰较大,说明了流域内生态环境较脆弱。