森林土壤氧化（吸收）甲烷研究进展

甲烷是一种重要的温室气体,对全球气候变暖的贡献仅次于CO2,约为25%。大气甲烷可以被土壤中甲烷氧化细菌在有氧条件下吸收利用,陆地生态系统森林土壤氧化吸收甲烷的研究已有大量报道。甲烷氧化菌是以甲烷作为唯一的碳源和能源的一类细菌的总称。但森林土壤在全球甲烷核算中具有一定的不确定性,取决于产甲烷菌和甲烷氧化菌的相对活性。甲烷氧化菌的研究集中在环境对氧化能力的影响和自身氧化能力上。大气甲烷氧化过程为高氧化能力低亲力氧化,受到一些因子,如土壤温度、土壤通气状况、pH、氮肥等的影响,具体机理的研究还有待进一步深入。土壤通气状况受土壤质地与土壤水分影响,土地利用类型可能改变土壤容重、土壤结构和土壤水分,进而影响土壤甲烷氧化。植物可以通过自身对生境的作用或化感作用影响土壤甲烷氧化。土壤动物的研究则相对较少,目前排放清单中仅有白蚁是全球甲烷核算所包括的。从甲烷氧化菌的分类出发,对甲烷氧化菌氧化甲烷的机理、菌的生态分布及甲烷氧化的影响因素、时空异质性、观测方法等作出了综述,为正确认识和准确预测森林土壤在一定气候和土地利用类型条件下的甲烷氧化强度提供理论依据。     

甲醇对土壤甲烷氧化的影响及其微生物学机理

对设施栽培土壤甲烷氧化及其微生物学机理进行了研究，结果表明，不同土壤对甲烷的氧化能力各异，这可能与土壤的理化性质有关。土壤微生物是甲烷氧化的主要生物类群，不同碳源对甲烷氧化的影响各异，纤维素对甲烷氧化的抑制作用最小，高浓度的甲醇则对甲烷氧化具有强烈的抑制作用，而适当浓度的甲醇可极大地促进土壤甲烷的氧化。在甲烷释放极少的设施栽培土壤中，兼性营养甲烷氧化菌可能在甲烷氧化中占据主导地位。     

我国南方红壤丘岗区稻田甲烷产生规律

温度对稻田甲烷产生有显著影响，温度每升高１０℃，甲烷产生率约增长３倍。水稻在插秧后和收割前出现甲烷产生高峰，在生长中期产生率较低。稻田土壤中甲烷产生率的垂直分布与有机酸含量的垂直分布一致。水稻植株对甲烷产生率有巨大影响，即种植水稻比不种水稻甲烷产生率显著增加。稻田土壤排到大气中的甲烷不到其产生量的２０％。     

反刍动物甲烷排放研究进展

反刍动物甲烷排放是大气中甲烷的主要排放源之一,本文简述了国内外反刍动物甲烷排放总量研究概况,及甲烷排放研究尚存在的问题和初步结论。     

不同耕作制度对南方稻田甲烷排放的影响

以南方稻田温室气体甲烷排放为研究对象,选取冬季休闲和种植绿肥作物紫云英(AstragalussinicusL.)两种主要模式,在早稻(OryzasativaL.)移栽之前进行旋耕和翻耕两种处理,以全年休闲为空白对照,利用静态箱法测定甲烷排放通量。结果表明,甲烷排放在水稻抽穗期达到极大值,至收获甲烷排放呈减少趋势,以无稻全年休闲区甲烷排放通量最低,在抽穗至收获阶段平均排放速率为3.43mg·m-2·h-1,冬闲及冬季种植紫云英处理分别比无稻休闲区排放通量高114.3%和420.3%;甲烷浓度具有强烈的空间异质性,地表以上50cm空间内,早稻抽穗至成熟阶段甲烷浓度是大气甲烷浓度的35.2倍;稻田甲烷高浓度低排放速率以及低浓度高排放速率现象表明,甲烷排放速率与其浓度之间具有非一致性。     

稻田甲烷氧化与铵氧化关系研究进展

稻田生态系统中存在着好氧微域,其中同时发生甲烷氧化和铵氧化。甲烷和铵氧化过程具有极为相似的微生物机理。稻田土壤中的甲烷可能影响铵氧化过程;施用铵态氮肥对甲烷的氧化也有强烈影响。本文对稻田土壤中甲烷氧化与铵氧化关系做一简要综述。     

中国农业排放源甲烷排放量的估算

本文在收集大量资料的基础上,采用IPCC推荐的计算方法对中国农业排放源的甲烷排放量进行了较为详细的估算。分别得出了中国稻田甲烷排放量、家养动物甲烷排放量和农业残留物甲烷排放量。     

我国南方红壤丘岚区稻田甲烷产生规律

温度对稻田甲烷产生有显著影响，温度每升高１０℃，甲烷产生率的增长３倍。水稻在插秧后和收割前出现甲烷产生高峰，在生长中期产生率较低。稻田土壤中甲烷产生率的垂直分布与有机酸含量的垂直分布一致。水稻植株对甲烷产生率有巨大影响，即种植水稻比不种水稻甲烷产生率显著增加。稻田土壤排到大气中的甲烷不到其产生量的２０％。     

北京市城市湖泊上空甲烷浓度水平和季节特征

通过对北京市市区内大于10 000 m2的10个湖泊上空0.5 m处甲烷浓度的季度观测,研究了北京市城市湖泊上空甲烷的浓度水平,并对其中4个典型的湖泊进行了每月1~2次的观测,分析了城市湖泊上空甲烷浓度的连续变化特征。结果表明湖泊上空甲烷浓度年平均值为2.337±0.431 mL/m3,高于全球均值和其他相关研究人员对北京市上空监测的结果。湖泊上空甲烷浓度季节之间的差异性显著(P<0.01),夏季的甲烷浓度较高(2.758±0.516mL/m3),秋季和春季相对较低。4个典型湖泊上空甲烷浓度连续变化具有一定的规律,大都在7-8月份达到甲烷浓度的高峰期,3月初融冰时都会有小幅增加;位于市中心的什刹海上空甲烷浓度相对较高。这表明了北京市内湖泊是甲烷排放的一个重要源头,同时也反映了北京作为一特大城市,其湖泊上空甲烷浓度受人类活动影响的特征。     

湿地甲烷的产生、氧化及排放通量研究进展

甲烷研究已倍受科学界关注,不仅由于其对全球变暖的贡献仅次于二氧化碳,贡献率达25%,还因为单分子甲烷的增值潜势是二氧化碳的15~30倍.湿地是甲烷的重要来源,估计湿地生态系统对全球甲烷排放的贡献率约为20%,即为100~200Tg a?1.湿地甲烷在厌氧条件下产生,在土壤氧化层以及根际中部分氧化,然后通过土壤、水体和植物体排放到大气中去.就近10a来湿地甲烷产生、氧化、传输过程及其影响因素等的研究进展进行了综述.产甲烷菌的研究主要集中在其对环境因子的生理生态和分子生物学,尤其集中在稻田产甲烷菌的研究上,因此在深度和广度上都有待突破.产甲烷过程是一个复杂的生化过程,要对甲烷排放量估计、甲烷排放动态研究以及在甲烷排放建模等方面取得进展,必需在甲烷产生机制上进行突破.甲烷氧化菌的研究集中于菌群对环境的适应以及其自身氧化能力上,应用研究还不是很深入.甲烷氧化过程的研究已经有了一定的深度,但氧化过程具体机理的研究还有待进一步深入,这需要分子生物学以及基因组学等多学科的交叉.甲烷传输过程是研究甲烷排放动态的基础,目前相关研究较少,国内有关研究主要集中在稻田研究上,对高寒湿地的研究则几乎是空白.湿地甲烷通量的研究是目前温室气体研究的热点问题,但主要解决的问题是大气中甲烷气体浓度增加与湿地甲烷通量的关系.湿地甲烷通量是由多种因素决定的,对影响湿地甲烷通量的因素的研究相当丰富,特别是近年来对生物因素的关注.由于学科的发展,近10a在这方面的研究较之过去更为全面和系统.图1表1参68     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.     

Representation of the world's biophysical conditions by the global protected area network

Protected areas (PAs) are often implemented without consideration of already existing PAs, which is likely to cause an overrepresentation of certain biophysical conditions. We assessed the representativeness of the current PA network with regard to the world's biophysical conditions to highlight which conditions are underprotected and where these conditions are located. We overlaid terrestrial and marine PAs with information on biophysical conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and elevation) and then quantified the percentage of area covered by the PA network. For 1 variable at a time in the terrestrial realm, high temperature, low precipitation, and medium and very high elevation were underrepresented. For the marine realm, low and medium sea surface temperature (SST), medium and high sea surface salinity (SSS), and the deep sea were underrepresented. Overall, protection was evenly distributed for elevation across the terrestrial realm and SST across the marine realm. For 2 variables at a time, cold and very dry terrestrial environments had mostly low protection, which was also the case for low SST and low and medium SSS across most depths for marine environments. Low protection occurred mostly in the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula for the terrestrial realm and along the Tropic of Capricorn and toward the poles for the marine realm. Although biodiversity measures are of prime importance for the design of PA networks, highlighting biophysical gaps in current PAs adds a frequently overlooked perspective. These gaps may weaken the potential of PAs to conserve biodiversity. Thus, our results may provide useful insights for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to establish a more comprehensive global PA network.     

Quantitative composition of the defensive secretion ofBledius species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae) is adapted to naturally occurring predators

Summary The adaptation of defensive secretions to their target organisms was examined for the abdominal gland secretions ofBledius furcatus, B. spectabilis andB. arenarius. Therefore the target organisms of the secretion of theseBledius species (i.e. their predators) had to be identified. At the collection sites examined these were the earwigLabidura riparia, the antCataglyphis bicolor, the flyLispe candicans, different carabids of the generaPogonus, Dichirotrichus, Dyschirius, Bembidion andCalathus and the wading birdsHaematopus ostralegus andCalidris alba. The secretion of the abdominal glands contains the toxin ptoluquinone dissolved in either-dodecalactone and 1-undecene (B. furcatus andB. spectabilis) or in octanoic acid and octyloctanoate (B. arenarius). The ratio of these solvents is species-specific. Application experiments using some of the natural insect predators (L. riparia, C. bicolor, Pogonus, Di. gustavii, Dyschirius) revealed that these solvent ratios provided a more effective deterrent than other possible ratios. Thus by combining the solvents in certain ratios, the capability of cuticular penetration and therefore the effectiveness of the defensive secretions are adapted to their natural targets.     

Democracy versus development: New urban debates

The politics of development includes subtexts of choice, as underpinned by community consensus (or lack of it), against the larger backdrop of a liberal democracy, with its intricate power structures that influence the choice of concepts and often lead to complicity rather than consent. A dilemma exists between the understanding of field-level practitioners and that of academics, whose understandings of progress differ. Progress can (and often does) imply long-term change across generations whereas development is often more a matter of crisis management and delivering tangible results to end-users. This makes it a bone of contention across political systems, irrespective of local or global dynamics. Development can emerge as a tool to be wielded for power and further political mileage at the expense of progress. Progress cannot be studied as a counterpoint to development as the sense of history is often missing in development interventions. Development tends to be piecemeal as its very logic often stems from the rationale of power. This is not to suggest, however, that development is only about politics; it is definitely more than the politics of everyday life and involves all of civil society that requires its critical and immediate attention. In this sense, it has become a priority for politicians with an underlying agenda designed to out-manouevre dissent and all statements of protest.     

A palaeo-hydrogeological model for arsenic contamination in southern and south-east Asia

An argument is presented in which areas of natural arsenic contamination of modern groundwaters throughout Asia have a common origin. Arsenic originally accumulated in oceanic ferro-manganoan sediments of the eastern Palaeo-Tethys. This was further concentrated through oceanic crustal extinction in what later became the south-east Chinese accreted mineralised terrain. Proto-Himalayan uplift of this area created the palaeo-drainage systems of the Ganges – Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Mekong, and Red Rivers, with consequent headwater erosion of arsenic-rich sediments. Their downstream deposition as immature and easily redistributed Neogene sandstones, silts, and iron-rich clays has created secondary and tertiary reservoirs of adsorbed and authigenic arsenic, from which the current arsenic-rich groundwaters have evolved. Considering river basins within the above palaeo-hydrogeological framework provides a basis for assessing the risk of arsenic in groundwater basins of south and south-eastern Asia.     

A framework to measure the wildness of managed large vertebrate populations

As landscapes continue to fall under human influence through habitat loss and fragmentation, fencing is increasingly being used to mitigate anthropogenic threats and enhance the commercial value of wildlife. Subsequent intensification of management potentially erodes wildness by disembodying populations from landscape-level processes, thereby disconnecting species from natural selection. Tools are needed to measure the degree to which populations of large vertebrate species in formally protected and privately owned wildlife areas are self-sustaining and free to adapt. We devised a framework to measure such wildness based on 6 attributes relating to the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of vertebrates (space, disease and parasite resistance, exposure to predation, exposure to limitations and fluctuations of food and water supply, and reproduction). For each attribute, we set empirical, species-specific thresholds between 5 wildness states based on quantifiable management interventions. We analysed data from 205 private wildlife properties with management objectives spanning ecotourism to consumptive utilization to test the framework on 6 herbivore species representing a range of conservation statuses and commercial values. Wildness scores among species differed significantly, and the proportion of populations identified as wild ranged from 12% to 84%, which indicates the tool detected site-scale differences both among populations of different species and populations of the same species under different management regimes. By quantifying wildness, this framework provides practitioners with standardized measurement units that link biodiversity with the sustainable use of wildlife. Applications include informing species management plans at local scales; standardizing the inclusion of managed populations in red-list assessments; and providing a platform for certification and regulation of wildlife-based economies. Applying this framework may help embed wildness as a normative value in policy and mitigate the shifting baseline of what it means to truly conserve a species.     

Cost‐effective conservation of an endangered frog under uncertainty

How should managers choose among conservation options when resources are scarce and there is uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of actions? Well‐developed tools exist for prioritizing areas for one‐time and binary actions (e.g., protect vs. not protect), but methods for prioritizing incremental or ongoing actions (such as habitat creation and maintenance) remain uncommon. We devised an approach that combines metapopulation viability and cost‐effectiveness analyses to select among alternative conservation actions while accounting for uncertainty. In our study, cost‐effectiveness is the ratio between the benefit of an action and its economic cost, where benefit is the change in metapopulation viability. We applied the approach to the case of the endangered growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis), which is threatened by urban development. We extended a Bayesian model to predict metapopulation viability under 9 urbanization and management scenarios and incorporated the full probability distribution of possible outcomes for each scenario into the cost‐effectiveness analysis. This allowed us to discern between cost‐effective alternatives that were robust to uncertainty and those with a relatively high risk of failure. We found a relatively high risk of extinction following urbanization if the only action was reservation of core habitat; habitat creation actions performed better than enhancement actions; and cost‐effectiveness ranking changed depending on the consideration of uncertainty. Our results suggest that creation and maintenance of wetlands dedicated to L. raniformis is the only cost‐effective action likely to result in a sufficiently low risk of extinction. To our knowledge we are the first study to use Bayesian metapopulation viability analysis to explicitly incorporate parametric and demographic uncertainty into a cost‐effective evaluation of conservation actions. The approach offers guidance to decision makers aiming to achieve cost‐effective conservation under uncertainty.     

Threats to intact tropical peatlands and opportunities for their conservation

Large, intact areas of tropical peatland are highly threatened at a global scale by the expansion of commercial agriculture and other forms of economic development. Conserving peatlands on a landscape scale, with their hydrology intact, is of international conservation importance to preserve their distinctive biodiversity and ecosystem services and maintain their resilience to future environmental change. We explored threats to and opportunities for conserving remaining intact tropical peatlands; thus, we excluded peatlands of Indonesia and Malaysia, where extensive deforestation, drainage, and conversion to plantations means conservation in this region can protect only small fragments of the original ecosystem. We focused on a case study, the Pastaza‐Marañón Foreland Basin (PMFB) in Peru, which is among the largest known intact tropical peatland landscapes in the world and is representative of peatland vulnerability. Maintenance of the hydrological conditions critical for carbon storage and ecosystem function of peatlands is, in the PMFB, primarily threatened by expansion of commercial agriculture linked to new transport infrastructure that is facilitating access to remote areas. There remain opportunities in the PMFB and elsewhere to develop alternative, more sustainable land‐use practices. Although some of the peatlands in the PMFB fall within existing legally protected areas, this protection does not include the most carbon‐dense (domed pole forest) areas. New carbon‐based conservation instruments (e.g., REDD+, Green Climate Fund), developing markets for sustainable peatland products, transferring land title to local communities, and expanding protected areas offer pathways to increased protection for intact tropical peatlands in Amazonia and elsewhere, such as those in New Guinea and Central Africa which remain, for the moment, broadly beyond the frontier of commercial development.     

Sexual Predators,Energy Development,and Conservation in Greater Yellowstone

Abstract: In the United States, as elsewhere, a growing debate pits national energy policy and homeland security against biological conservation. In rural communities the extraction of fossil fuels is often encouraged because of the employment opportunities it offers, although the concomitant itinerant workforce is often associated with increased wildlife poaching. We explored possible positive and negative factors associated with energy extraction in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), an area known for its national parks, intact biological diversity, and some of the New World's longest terrestrial migrations. Specifically, we asked whether counties with different economies—recreation (ski), agrarian (ranching or farming), and energy extractive (petroleum)—differed in healthcare (gauged by the abundance of hospital beds) and in the frequency of sexual predators. The absolute and relative frequency of registered sex offenders grew approximately two to three times faster in areas reliant on energy extraction. Healthcare among counties did not differ. The strong conflation of community dishevel, as reflected by in‐migrant sexual predators, and ecological decay in Greater Yellowstone is consistent with patterns seen in similar systems from Ecuador to northern Canada, where social and environmental disarray exist around energy boomtowns. In our case, that groups (albeit with different aims) mobilized campaigns to help maintain the quality of rural livelihoods by protecting open space is a positive sign that conservation can matter, especially in the face of rampant and poorly executed energy extraction projects. Our findings further suggest that the public and industry need stronger regulatory action to instill greater vigilance when and where social factors and land conversion impact biological systems.