Understanding the distribution of bushmeat hunting effort across landscapes by testing hypotheses about human foraging

Mitigating the massive impacts of defaunation on natural ecosystems requires understanding and predicting hunting effort across the landscape. But such understanding has been hindered by the difficulty of assessing the movement patterns of hunters in thick forests and across complex terrain. We statistically tested hypotheses about the spatial distribution of hunting with circuit theory and structural equation models. We used a data set of >7000 known kill locations in Guyana and hunter movement models to test these methods. Comparing models with different resistance layers (i.e., different estimates of how terrain and land cover influence human movement speed) showed that rivers, on average, limited movement rather than serving as transport arteries. Moreover, far more kills occurred close to villages than in remote areas. This, combined with the lack of support for structural equation models that included latent terms for prey depletion driven by past overhunting, suggests that kill locations in this system tended to be driven by where hunters were currently foraging rather than by influences of historical harvest. These analyses are generalizable to a variety of ecosystems, species, and data types, providing a powerful way of enhancing maps and predictions of hunting effort across complex landscapes.     

利用卷枝毛霉成球特性高效收获微藻

利用卷枝毛霉孢子悬液与小球藻共培养,用过滤含藻菌球的方式来收获微藻.以人工配水为培养基,收获效率为指标,通过单因子试验和正交试验得到最佳收获条件为:pH=6.0,葡萄糖质量浓度为1.25 g·L~(-1),菌藻比为1∶250,收获效率为91.08%.对培养前后培养液中多糖质量浓度进行测定,发现小球藻在培养48 h后多糖质量浓度较培养前增加了约0.047g·L~(-1),而菌藻共培养后的混合液中多糖质量浓度为0.019 g·L~(-1).由此可知在菌藻共培养过程中,小球藻会向外分泌某些水溶性多糖物质供卷枝毛霉利用,二者有一定的共生作用.对小球藻和卷枝毛霉细胞表面Zeta电位进行测量发现,小球藻细胞表面的Zeta电位值随着藻液pH值变化波动不大;而卷枝毛霉细胞表面的Zeta电位值,随着pH值的变小,电位值可由原先最低的-37.7 m V升至-9.87 m V.由此推定菌藻相互吸附的主要机制为电中和吸附.     

Management of traditional hunting of dugongs [Dugong dugon (Müller, 1776)] in the northern Great Barrier Reef,Australia

Some of the largest concentrations of dugongs (Dugong dugon) occur in the coastal waters of eastern Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Designation of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park has prompted the development of a program for management of dugong hunting by the aboriginal communities of the region. Assessment of the population by aerial surveys combined with monitoring of the aboriginal hunters' harvest suggest that the take is well below the sustainable yield. However, the reproductive rate of dugongs is so low that it will be a decade before the status of the population can be established. Therefore, a conservative management policy for dugongs is recommended while acknowledging the rights of traditional hunters. Greater participation of the aboriginal communities in the management program is sought to overcome initial misunderstandings and hostility.     

Long-term depletion of calcium and other nutrients in eastern US forests

Both harvest removal and leaching losses can deplete nutrient capital in forests, but their combined long-term effects have not been assessed previously. We estimated changes in total soil and biomass N, Ca, K, Mg, and P over 120 years from published data for a spruce-fir site in Maine, two northern hardwood sites in New Hampshire, central hardwood sites in Connecticut and Tennessee, and a loblolly pine site in Tennessee. For N, atmospheric inputs counterbalance the outputs, and there is little long-term change on most sites. For K, Mg, and P, the total pool may decrease by 2%–10% in 120 years depending on site and harvest intensity. For Ca, net leaching loss is 4–16 kg/ha/yr in mature forests, and whole-tree harvest removes 200–1100 kg/ha. Such leaching loss and harvest removal could reduce total soil and biomass Ca by 20%–60% in only 120 years. We estimated unmeasured Ca inputs from rock breakdown, root-zone deepening, and dry deposition; these should not be expected to make up the Ca deficit. Acid precipitation may be the cause of current high leaching of Ca. Although Ca deficiency does not generally occur now in acid forest soils, it seems likely if anthropogenic leaching and intensive harvest removal continue.     

黄丝郁金不同采收期的产量和质量研究

目的:研究黄丝郁金不同采收期对产量和质量的影响,以确定适宜的采收时期。方法:设定10月、11月、12月、1月2、月5个不同采收时间,定期采收,测产,测试挥发油和姜黄素含量。结果:10—12月郁金产量有明显增加,12月至次年2月产量无明显差异;10—12月郁金的姜黄素和挥发油含量显著增加,12月至次年2月含量无明显差异。结论:总体看来,黄丝郁金的采收期以12月底为宜。     

植被收割对滨海湿地沉积物中CO_2和N_2O释放的影响

为了揭示冬季滨海湿地植被收割对其沉积物中温室气体释放的影响,以长江入海口典型滨海湿地——崇明东滩为研究对象,观测季节性(冬季)植被收割(分别于收割后第0天、第10天、第30天、第60天采样)与不收割条件下芦苇(Phragmites australis)、米草(Spartina alterniflora)、芦苇-米草交互带和光滩沉积物中CO2与N2O的释放特征.结果表明:1米草和芦苇-米草交互带植被收割并未增加沉积物中CO2的释放(P0.05),但芦苇收割可能会增加N2O的释放(P0.05),说明植被收割对湿地沉积物中CO2和N2O释放的影响与植被类型密切相关.2与芦苇带相比,米草和芦苇-米草交互带沉积物中CO2累积释放量分别高出12%~57%和17%~43%,但芦苇植被覆盖下沉积物中N2O累积释放量分别比二者高出11%~81%和8%~95%.可见,米草和芦苇-米草交互带沉积物碳的呼吸损失明显高于芦苇带,但芦苇植被覆盖下沉积物中N2O逸失量相对较高.34种植被类型下,沉积物中N2O累积释放量为0.1~0.4 mg/kg,CO2累积释放量则高达1 024~2 645 mg/kg.因此,冬季滨海湿地植被收割不会显著增加N2O的温室效应,但选择性收割米草有望减少沉积物碳的呼吸损失.     

利用沉水植物生长期收割进行富营养化水体生态管理的实地研究

在以再生水为补水水源的圆明园玉玲珑水域进行沉水植物收割实验,自2011年4—12月间每隔半个月监测一次水质。结果表明,通过在生长期收割沉水植物,玉玲珑水体TP、SRP、TN、NH4+-N、NO3--N和COD的平均浓度可维持在0.1、0.04、0.86、0.1、0.32和18 mg/L左右,水质保持在Ⅲ类至Ⅳ类地表水之间;与之对照的不收割沉水植物的玉玲珑进水口水域,9月沉水植物开始死亡腐烂,TP、SRP、TN、NH4+-N最高分别可达0.5、0.1、2.4和0.60 mg/L;作为对照的另一以挺水植物为主的水域,水质普遍劣于有大量沉水植物生长的水域,TP、SRP、TN、NH4+-N最高分别可达1.2、0.60、6.1和0.61mg/L。圆明园的实地实验表明,沉水植物有很强的净化水质作用,通过生长期收割,能够进一步强化其水质净化作用,可以作为一项对富营养化水体进行生态管理的有效措施进行推广。     

Key Features and Context‐Dependence of Fishery‐Induced Trophic Cascades

Abstract: Trophic cascades triggered by fishing have profound implications for marine ecosystems and the socioeconomic systems that depend on them. With the number of reported cases quickly growing, key features and commonalities have emerged. Fishery‐induced trophic cascades often display differential response times and nonlinear trajectories among trophic levels and can be accompanied by shifts in alternative states. Furthermore, their magnitude appears to be context dependent, varying as a function of species diversity, regional oceanography, local physical disturbance, habitat complexity, and the nature of the fishery itself. To conserve and manage exploited marine ecosystems, there is a pressing need for an improved understanding of the conditions that promote or inhibit the cascading consequences of fishing. Future research should investigate how the trophic effects of fishing interact with other human disturbances, identify strongly interacting species and ecosystem features that confer resilience to exploitation, determine ranges of predator depletion that elicit trophic cascades, pinpoint antecedents that signal ecosystem state shifts, and quantify variation in trophic rates across oceanographic conditions. This information will advance predictive models designed to forecast the trophic effects of fishing and will allow managers to better anticipate and avoid fishery‐induced trophic cascades.     

Phytoremediation of Cadmium-Contaminated Soils by Rorippa globosa Using Two-Phase Planting (5 pp)

Background Phytoextraction of contaminated soils by heavy metals can provide a great promise of commercial development. Although there are more than 400 species of hyperaccumulators found in the world, phytoremediation technology is rarely applied in field practice for remedying contaminated soils, partially due to low biomass and long growth duration for most of discovered hyperaccumulating plants. In order to enhance the metal-removing efficiency in a year, the two-phase planting countermeasure of phytoextraction by harvesting anthesis biomass was investigated on the basis of the newly found Cd-hyperaccumulator Rorippa globosa (Turcz.) Thell. with 107.0 and 150.1 mg/kg of the Cd accumulation in stems and leaves, respectively, when soil Cd added was concentrated to 25.0 mg/kg. Methods The field pot-culture experiment was used to observe the distribution property of R. globosa aboveground biomass and to examine characteristics of accumulating Cd by the plant at different growth stages. The concentration of Cd in plants and soils was determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). Results and Discussion The results indicated that the total dry stem and leaf biomass of R. globosa harvested at the flowering phase was up to 92.3% of that at its full maturity and the concentration of Cd in stems and leaves harvested at the flowering phase was up to 73.8% and 87.7% of that at the mature phase, respectively. The Cd-removing ratio by shoots of R. globosa harvested at the flowering phase was up to 71.4% of that at the mature phase. It was also found, by observing the growth duration of R. globosa, that the frostless period at the experiment site was twice as long as the growth time from the seedling-transplanted phase to the flowering phase of the hyperaccumulator. Conclusion R. globosa could be transplanted into contaminated soils twice in one year by harvesting the hyperaccumulator at its flowering phase based on climatic conditions of the site and traits of the plant growth. In this sense, the extraction efficiency of Cd in shoots of R. globosa increased 42.8% compared to that of at its single maturity when the plant was transplanted into contaminated soils after it had been harvested at its flowering phase and the plant accumulated Cd from soil at the same extraction ratio at its second flowering phase. Thus, the method of anthesis biomass regulation by the two-phase planting is very significant to increase the Cd-removing efficiency by phytoremediation used in practice over the course of a year. Recommendation and Outlook As for some hyperaccumulators that the growth duration from the seedling-transplanted phase to the flowering phase are short and the concentrations of heavy metals accumulated in their shoots at the flowering phase are high, the efficiency of phytoremediation can greatly be improved using the method of the two-phase planting.