The classification of lands managed for conservation: existing and proposed frameworks, with particular reference to Australia

Comprehensive classification systems to accurately account for lands managed for biodiversity conservation, are an essential component of conservation planning and policy. The current international classification systems for lands managed for nature conservation are reviewed, with a particular emphasis on Australia. The need for a broader, all-encompassing, categorisation of lands managed for conservation is presented and a proposed broader categorisation system is developed—the Conservation Lands Classification. This classification system has the advantage of incorporating data on both tenure and protection mechanisms and has been applied in this paper using conservation lands in three Australian jurisdictions as examples. It is envisaged that this method of classification has the potential to significantly improve the ability to measure current and future trends in nature conservation across all land types at a variety of scales and hence is put forward in order to stimulate discussion on this important topic.     

The genesis of Lofer cycles of the Dachstein Limestone, Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria

Peritidal carbonate platform Lofer cycles have been regarded as a record of sea-level oscillations driven by variations in the earth's orbit. Fresh analysis of a newly measured 700?m thick section from the Steinernes Meer is presented here. Estimation of stratigraphic completeness indicates that this sequence is only 0.75–9.5% complete, strongly suggesting that Milankovitch patterns are not preserved. Analysis of cycle thickness-frequency distributions reveals an exponential pattern, strongly suggestive of aperiodic, random deposition rather than periodic deposition in response to orbital forcing. Evidence for the importance of autocyclic processes (e.g. lateral migration of inter- to supratidal mudbanks and subtidal areas) and syn-sedimentary tectonic downfaulting events within this already active Late Triassic extensional zone is presented.     

全球变暖背景下中亚兴都库什、喀喇昆仑及天山气候变化研究进展

中亚兴都库什、喀喇昆仑及天山山脉（HKT）是气候变化敏感区,其在全球变暖背景下的气候变化对区域生态和经济系统的稳定性及可持续发展有重要意义。目前对中亚高海拔地区的研究多集中于局部区域,有关HKT地区气候变化的综合对比分析较为缺乏。本文对HKT地区现代气候变化的相关研究成果进行简单梳理和回顾,重点总结了HKT地区气候变化特征、影响机制及其与全球变暖的联系。结果表明：（1）近60 a,HKT地区不同区域气候的时空特征存在差异,从时间上看,天山的年均温及年降水量均呈上升趋势,而兴都库什-喀喇昆仑山的年均温呈不显著增加趋势,其年降水量变化趋势不稳定;从空间上看,HKT地区山脉南坡气温高于北坡,但北坡降水量高于南坡,且天山南北坡年降水均呈上升趋势。（2）HKT地区的气候变化除了受西风环流、南亚印度季风及局地条件等影响外,还受到北大西洋涛动和厄尔尼诺-南方涛动等大尺度气候模态的调制,如兴都库什-喀喇昆仑山脉在NAO正（负）位相和ENSO暖（冷）位相降水趋于增加（减少）。     

Pinealectomy shortens resynchronisation times of house sparrow (Passer domesticus) circadian rhythms

In many birds periodic melatonin secretion by the pineal organ is essential for the high-amplitude self-sustained output of the circadian pacemaker, and thus for the persistence of rhythmicity in 24 h oscillations controlled by it. The elimination of the pineal melatonin rhythm, or a reduction of its amplitude, renders the circadian pacemaker a less self-sustained, often highly damped, oscillatory system. A reduction in the degree of self-sustainment of a rhythm should not only increase its range of entrainment but also shorten the resynchronization times following phase-shifts of the zeitgeber. This hypothesis has not yet been directly tested. We therefore carried out the present study in which house sparrows (Passer domesticus) were subjected to both 6-h advance and 6-h delay phase-shifts of the light–dark cycle before and after the pinealectomy, and the rhythms in locomotion and feeding were recorded. The results indicate that following the delay, but not the advance, phase shift, resynchronization times were significantly shorter after pinealectomy. The dependence of resynchronization times on the presence or absence of the pineal organ is not only of theoretical interest but might also be of functional significance in the natural life of birds. A reduction or elimination of the amplitude of the melatonin secretion rhythm by the pineal organ might be responsible for faster adjustment to changes in zeitgeber conditions in nature. Professor Dr E. Gwinner died on 07 September 2004.     

Smallholder Agroforestry Systems For Carbon Storage

Most smallholder agroforestry systems in Southeast Asia are tree- and species-rich systems producing non-wood and wood products for both home use and market sale. Due to their high biomass, these systems contain large carbon (C) stocks. While the systems of individual farmers are of limited size, on a per area basis smallholder systems accumulate significant amounts of C, equaling the amount of C stored in some secondary forests of similar age. Their ability to simultaneously address smallholders’ livelihood needs and store large amounts of C makes smallholder systems viable project types under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol, with its dual objective of emissions reduction and sustainable development. Smallholder systems have not developed in areas where enabling conditions do not exist. A CDM project that facilitates a minimum threshold of enabling conditions that make smallholder agroforestation possible should qualify for C credits. To secure smallholder confidence, the agroforestry systems promoted through a CDM project must be socially and economically viable independent of C payments. To assure system productivity and profitability, projects should provide farmers with technical and marketing assistance. Additionally, project sites should meet the following preconditions: areas of underutilized low-biomass landuse systems available for rehabilitation; smallholders interested in tree farming; accessible markets for tree products; supportive local governments; sufficient infrastructure; and transparent and equitable relationships between project partners. Questions of leakage and additionality should not be problematic and can be addressed through the project design, establishment of quantifiable baseline data and facilitating enabling conditions. However, smallholder-focused CDM projects would have high transaction costs. The subsequent challenge is thus to develop mechanisms that reduce the costs of: (a) making information (e.g., technology, markets) more accessible to multiple clients; (b) facilitating and enforcing smallholder agreements and (c) designing feasible monitoring systems.     

Application of GIS technology in chemical emergency response

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Inhibition of rhythmic neural spiking by noise: the occurrence of a minimum in activity with increasing noise

The effects of noise on neuronal dynamical systems are of much current interest. Here, we investigate noise-induced changes in the rhythmic firing activity of single Hodgkin–Huxley neurons. With additive input current, there is, in the absence of noise, a critical mean value μ = μ _c above which sustained periodic firing occurs. With initial conditions as resting values, for a range of values of the mean μ near the critical value, we have found that the firing rate is greatly reduced by noise, even of quite small amplitudes. Furthermore, the firing rate may undergo a pronounced minimum as the noise increases. This behavior has the opposite character to stochastic resonance and coherence resonance. We found that these phenomena occurred even when the initial conditions were chosen randomly or when the noise was switched on at a random time, indicating the robustness of the results. We also examined the effects of conductance-based noise on Hodgkin–Huxley neurons and obtained similar results, leading to the conclusion that the phenomena occur across a wide range of neuronal dynamical systems. Further, these phenomena will occur in diverse applications where a stable limit cycle coexists with a stable focus.     

Physiologische Uhren von Insekten Zur Ökophysiologie lunarperiodisch kontrollierter Fortpflanzungszeiten

Physiological clocks have been selected in various eukaryotic organisms in relation to daily, tidal, lunar and annual cycles of the environment. Insect species are appropriate experimental objects for the analysis of biological timing mechanisms and their evolutionary adaptation to the local environment. The most complex periodic environment occurs in the interface between the land and the sea, i.e., in the range of spring and neap tides. By the combination of ’circadian‘ and ’circalunar‘ clocks and their reliably perceptible ’zeitgeber‘ conditions, a few marine insects can temporally program their development to distinct tidal situations that occur only on distinct lunar days and at a distinct time of day every 14–15 days.     

生物滞留对城市地表径流磷的去除途径

根据武汉城市地表径流水文变化以及磷污染特征,通过1 a模拟运行监测,研究了生物滞留种植植物(狼尾草)、设置饱和带对城市地表径流溶解性磷(PO3-4-P)去除的影响及去除途径.结果表明,生物滞留采用75%河砂与25%当地黄棕壤混合基质,对地表径流PO3-4-P的平均去除率可达到90%以上.生物滞留种植狼尾草可显著降低出水PO3-4-P浓度.生物滞留设置饱和带可进一步提高对PO3-4-P的去除,不影响出水TP浓度.生物滞留通过基质吸附去除地表径流中的磷,表现为0~22.5 cm基质剖面中植物有效磷的增加,约占试验期间进水磷负荷的50%.从生物滞留系统磷输入(进水)与输出(出水与植物地上部分)角度分析,种植狼尾草一个生长周期地上部分吸收的磷可占进水磷负荷57.1%~76.1%,定期收割植物地上部分可作为城市地表径流磷可持续管理的主要途径.     

载镁天然沸石复合材料对污水中氮磷的同步回收

采用载镁天然沸石为沉淀剂,以鸟粪石的形式回收模拟污水中的营养物质,考察了投加量、溶液pH、反应时间和共存Ca~(2+)对回收过程的影响,并利用FTIR、XRD、BET和SEM等手段对回收沉淀产物进行了化学组分和表面形貌分析,以揭示其回收机制.结果表明当材料投加量为0.4 g·L~(-1),溶液初始pH为7,反应时间为2 h时,载镁天然沸石对溶液中磷酸盐和氨氮的回收性能最佳,最大吸附量分别高达119.2 mg·g~(-1)和48.5 mg·g~(-1).载镁天然沸石对溶液中磷酸盐和氨氮的回收过程均符合拟二级动力学模型(R~20.99).载镁天然沸石对污水中营养物质的回收机制有鸟粪石化学沉淀、物理吸附、离子交换和静电吸附等,其中以鸟粪石沉淀法为主.共存Ca~(2+)会干扰载镁沸石对溶液中氮磷的同步回收,导致回收的沉淀组分除鸟粪石晶体外,还会存在部分磷酸钙等副产物.     

Experimental evidence for species-specific habitat preferences in two flycatcher species in their hybrid zone

Hybrid zones are often found in areas where the environmental characteristics of native habitat of both parental species meet. One of the plausible mechanisms that maintain species distinctiveness, or limit hybridization, is the existence of local species-specific preferences for the natal habitat type. We evaluated this hypothesis for two passerine bird species, the pied Ficedula hypoleuca and collared flycatcher F. albicollis, in their narrow hybrid zone in Central Europe. Both species have quite distinct habitat distributions, and they have also been reported to differ in their foraging niches. In a series of aviary experiments, we demonstrated that both species show distinct preferences for trees from their native area. The pied flycatcher preferred coniferous vegetation, while the collared flycatcher favored deciduous vegetation. In addition, both species differed in foraging substrate preferences. The pied flycatcher preferred to forage in the lower strata on the ground than the canopy, whereas the collared flycatcher foraged more at the canopy level. Both males and females of each species were highly consistent in their preference patterns. Due to the widespread nature of hybrid zones as places with transitional habitat features and the well-known habitat tight associations of various animal taxa with particular habitat types, we propose that habitat preferences might be an important and common mechanism that enhances the formation of conspecific pairs.     

Using participatory geographic approaches for urban flood risk in Santiago de Chile: Insights from a governance analysis

Studies based on information acquired by participative geographic approaches have sought to cope with emergency situations and disasters such as floods. However, the impact of these approaches to flood risk governance systems in order to understand these types of events as a complete risk cycle is still not clear. This paper focuses on analysing the governance possibilities of using participative geographic information like volunteered and public participatory geographic information for flood risk reduction in the case of Santiago de Chile, a city which regularly experiences urban floods during rainy seasons. Based on in-depth interviews and document analysis, our study indicates that a relevant part of the current information used for flood risk reduction efforts is provided to local and regional authorities by the affected population. Though, local actors are not recognized by central agencies as valid agents for the production of official information. Moreover, there are neither instances of communication or deliberation with the community, which reduces the capacity of local actors to discuss possible solutions. Participative geographic instruments are seen as potential mechanisms to strengthen work relations among local actors and authorities, by enhancing new logics for producing and sharing information. The impacts for the current risk governance system though can be diverse depending on the participants' level of commitment of participants and the political relations between actors and agencies. Considered as merely data acquisition and analysis mechanisms, participative instruments reproduce the existing hierarchical top-down structures. Furthermore, local-based approaches can enhance local work, support local diagnostics and increase the decision capacity of citizens.     

Cell-to-cell communication in plants, animals, and fungi: a comparative review

Cell-to-cell communication is a prerequisite for differentiation and development in multicellular organisms. This communication has to be tightly regulated to ensure that cellular components such as organelles, macromolecules, hormones, or viruses leave the cell in a precisely organized way. During evolution, plants, animals, and fungi have developed similar ways of responding to this biological challenge. For example, in higher plants, plasmodesmata connect adjacent cells and allow communication to regulate differentiation and development. In animals, two main general structures that enable short- and long-range intercellular communication are known, namely gap junctions and tunneling nanotubes, respectively. Finally, filamentous fungi have also developed specialized structures called septal pores that allow intercellular communication via cytoplasmic flow. This review summarizes the underlying mechanisms for intercellular communication in these three eukaryotic groups and discusses its consequences for the regulation of differentiation and developmental processes.     

豫西山区降水与气温的波动规律研究

根据豫西山区4个国家地面气象观测站1957—2008年的降水和气温数据,运用小波分析和统计分析相结合的方法研究了该地区降水和气温的多时间尺度波动特征。研究结果表明:①近50 a来,豫西山区的年降水量和年均气温均具有复杂的多时间尺度特征,年降水量在4 a和14 a尺度上的周期性波动特征较为明显,而年均气温在8 a和14 a尺度上的周期性波动特征较为明显;②近50 a来,豫西山区的年降水量和年均气温虽然具有明显的周期性波动,但是,使用白噪声功率谱进行显著性对比检验得出的结果表明,它们的主周期的显著性水平普遍较低,可以认为基本属于随机性波动;③近50 a来,在4~12 a的尺度上,豫西山区的年降水量和年均气温具有极显著的负相关性,而且预计未来几年该地区仍然可能延续2006年以来气温偏高降水偏少的气候特征;④小波分析和统计分析都属于经验诊断的范畴,对分析过去气候要素变化的多时间结构特征具有较好的效果。但是,由于它们不涉及因果机理,因此要想准确地预测未来的气候变化趋势,还必须对气候系统当中的复杂变化过程开展深入的机理研究。     

贵州喀斯特区域土壤有机质的分布与演化特征

中国西南喀斯特区域是全球最大的喀斯特生态区域之一,该区生态环境脆弱,水土流失严重,石漠化趋势严峻。土壤有机质是极为重要的保持土壤结构与质量的物质,深刻认识喀斯特区域土壤有机质的特征与演化是防治和改善我国西南喀斯特区域石漠化现状的迫切需求。本文以贵州省为例,总结归纳前人的研究成果,阐述了该区土壤有机质的分布规律与演化特征,探讨了影响该区土壤有机质分布的因素,以期提出更好的石漠化防治策略。中国西南喀斯特区域土壤受该区多山地形的限制,具有水平地带性以及垂直地带性特征,同时受到喀斯特地质地貌的控制,发育各种非地带性土壤,本区土壤类型多、成因复杂;土壤有机质的分布、演化特征与土壤类型密切相关,具有明显的区域特点。贵州省分布广泛的主要土壤有黄壤、石灰土、红壤、紫色土、黄棕壤、棕壤以及水稻土等。其中,棕壤有机质含量最高,原因可能是棕壤存在区域海拔高,气温低,抑制微生物活动,土壤有机质分解过程比较缓慢;石灰土有机质含量高,原因可能是土壤中钙的含量较高,有机质的保存可能受益于腐殖酸钙及碳酸盐沉淀的包裹保护;而黄壤和红壤等酸性土壤有机质主要是与R_2O_3结合,有机质的活性高于石灰土;黄棕壤有机质含量介于棕壤和黄壤之间;紫色土由于土壤质地的原因,有机质含量最低。     

Optical Imaging of Odor-Evoked Glomerular Activity Patterns in the Antennal Lobes of the Ant Camponotus rufipes

 Ants have a well developed olfactory sense, which they need both for the perception of environmental chemicals, and for a highly sophisticated intraspecific communication system based on pheromones. The question arises therefore as to how different odors are coded in the antennal lobe, the first central neuropil to process olfactory information. We measured odor-evoked activity patterns using in vivo neuropil calcium recording in the antennal lobe of the ant Camponotus rufipes. We found that (a) odors elicit focal activity spots (diameter ca. 20 μm) which most probably represent the olfactory glomeruli; (b) different odors are coded in odor specific patterns of such activated spots, and a particular spot can participate in the pattern for different odors; (c) calcium increased in the activated spots within the 2-s stimulation period and slowly declined thereafter. Received: 10 March 1999 / Accepted in revised form: 5 July 1999     

有机膨润土在Pb2+和p-硝基苯酚复合污染中的吸附及机理

以Pb²⁺、p-硝基苯酚为代表污染物,用实验室模拟法研究了有机膨润土在重金属-有机物混合污染体系中的吸附行为.结果表明,在有机膨润土/Pb²⁺/p-硝基苯酚体系中,溶液中共存Pb²⁺会延缓p-硝基苯酚在有机膨润土上的吸附速率;Pb²⁺与p-硝基苯酚产生竞争吸附,竞争作用的大小与溶液中p-硝基苯酚和Pb²⁺的浓度比c(酚/Pb)以及有机膨润土对污染物的吸附机制有关,相对于吸附机制以分配作用为主的100CTMAB-膨润土,Pb²⁺与p-硝基苯酚在以表面吸附为主的100TMAB-膨润土上的竞争吸附更强.     

生物矿化促进造纸废水好氧除钙的技术研究

造纸废水厌氧出水中钙离子浓度高,容易引起后续活性污泥好氧曝气系统钙化,造成生化处理能力下降.本文利用富含产脲酶菌的驯化污泥对模拟厌氧出水进行生物矿化除钙.在序批式反应器中接种驯化污泥,在一定尿素浓度下研究除钙过程,并考察曝气对除钙过程的影响.结果表明,当尿素投加量为0.5 g·L^-1时,不曝气条件下钙和有机物去除率分别达到50%和35%左右;曝气有利于吹脱二氧化碳,当曝气量为0.2 L·min^-1时,钙离子和有机物去除率均上升至80%左右,而持续提高曝气量无法进一步提高有机物去除率.综合运行成本和处理要求,曝气辅助生物矿化可以有效去除造纸废水厌氧出水中的溶解性钙离子.通过基因组测序发现驯化污泥中产脲酶功能菌主要来自厚壁菌门,特别是芽孢杆菌纲中的热杆菌属.