Beyond identity crisis: The challenge of recontextualizing ecosystem delimitation

In a series of papers, three important system ecologists, Bernard C. Patten, Sven E. Jorgensen and Milan Straškraba attempt to revise the old ecosystem field and construct a new systems ecology. Inevitably, their attempt is faced with some of the same problems that led the field to decline. The indefiniteness of ecosystem boundaries is one of them, maybe the most important. Systems’ ecology failure to define ecosystem boundaries was considered a significant obstacle for the conceptualization of the ecosystem as a valid organizing unit of nature and resulted in a disciplinary identity crisis. To surmount this crisis, the authors introduce into the field innovative ideas which have their origin in the so-called postmodern network theories. These ideas reinforce the concept of environment and allow for a relative conception of space, which might have beneficial effects in delimiting ecosystems. However, the problem-solving potential of these ideas is not activated because the authors remain stitched to the Odumian mode of ecosystem thinking and avoid recontextualizing the old building blocks.     

城市屋面绿化生态热效应

文章在享有“火炉”这称的山城重庆夏末季节对草坪层面与水泥屋面的热特性进行了对比实测分析,研究结果表明草坪屋面具有显著的生态热效应。     

‘Optimal’ pollution abatement—whose benefits matter, and how much?

We examine the determinants of environmental regulatory activity (inspections and enforcement actions) and levels of air and water pollution for 409 US pulp and paper mills, using data for 1985–1997. We focus on the benefits to the surrounding population from pollution abatement. Plants with larger benefits emit less pollution, as do those with more kids and elders nearby. Plants in poor areas emit more pollution, though (surprisingly) we find less pollution in minority areas. Out-of-state neighbors seem to count less than in-state ones, although this effect diminishes if the bordering state's Congressional delegation is strongly pro-environment. We use ‘spatially lagged’ instrumental variables to control for the potential endogeneity of which individuals choose to locate near the plant. The results for regulatory activity are noticeably less significant than the emissions results.     

Voluntary information programs and environmental regulation: Evidence from ‘Spare the Air’

This paper assesses whether individuals change their transportation choices in response to ‘Spare the Air’ (STA) advisories, a public voluntary information program in the San Francisco Bay Area that elicits reductions in ozone-producing activities. Since STAs are issued when ozone levels are predicted to exceed a particular threshold, we use a regression discontinuity design to identify the effect of STAs. We also use traffic conditions in Southern California, an area without STAs, to estimate difference-in-differences models. The results suggest that STAs reduce traffic volume and slightly increase the use of public transit, supporting a potential role for voluntary information programs that directly target individuals as a means for improving local air quality.     

基于多类支持向量机的化学物质生态危害分类研究

应用多类支持向量机(M-SVMs)方法研究了化学物质生态危害程度的分类,以提高分类的准确性和效率.对采集到的61种环境优先污染物的环境行为和生物毒性方面的7项指标进行相关性分析,建立了M-SVMs分类模型并对数据集进行10折交叉验证以评价模型的分类能力,运用所建模型对7种化学物质的生态危害进行预测.结果表明,去除与鱼毒有信息重叠的溞毒指标,选取鱼毒、藻毒、降解性、蓄积性、分配系数和吸附系数6项指标用于构建M-SVMs分类模型;M-SVMs模型识别率较高,交叉验证平均分类正确率达86.89％;对7种化学物质生态危害的预测结果与实际情况基本相符.     

Analysis of landscape pattern: towards a ‘top down’ indicator for evaluation of landuse

Landscapes as highly complex systems are subject to many different assessment procedures despite the fact that their development is not really predictable. Every synthetic model of landscape functioning will probably fail in demonstrating the landscape behaviour due to the decreasing precision and relevance of its output with increasing complexity. Two approaches are presented here which use deductive methods to describe landscape behaviour as indicated by its spatial structure. The one is a correlative concept which is characterized by all the advantages and disadvantages of statistical regression methods. It is strongly dependent on data quality. In the second study an expert knowledge system is developed. Fuzzy set theory is applied to transfer rules of landscape ecological experience to image parameters derived from satellite data. Both approaches are compared regarding the problems faced in the work during implication. Theoretical restrictions and the applicability in landscape assessment is discussed.     

Diversity–stability relationships revisited: scaling rules for biological communities near equilibrium

The debate on diversity–stability relationships has a long history of theoretical interest and plays a central role in development of modern ecology. But such debate has recently re-opened under critical scrutiny both in theoretical and empirical studies. In this paper we use allometric (or energetic) scaling and statistical physics approaches to this problem. On the basis of local Damuth symmetry, a Markov model of transfer of energy between different species, and the fluctuation–dissipation theorem, scaling rules of species number and population variability of biological communities near equilibrium are derived. These scaling rules indicate that the diversity–stability relationship may be an energetic and thermodynamic consequence of ecological systems near equilibrium, not a simple statistical consequence as derived by other recent theoretical work.     

A bunch of tiny individuals—Individual-based modeling for microbes

The individual-based (aka agent-based) approach is now well established in ecological modeling. Traditionally, most applications have been to organisms at higher trophic levels, where the importance of population heterogeneity (intra-population variability), complete life cycles and behavior adapted to internal and external conditions has been recognized for some time. However, advances in molecular biology and biochemistry have brought about an increase in the application of individual-based modeling (IBM) to microbes as well. This literature review summarizes 46 IBM papers for bacteria in wastewater treatment plants, phytoplankton in ocean and inland waters, bacteria in biofilms, bacteria in food and other environs, and “digital organisms” and “domesticated computer viruses” in silico. The use of IBM in these applications was motivated by population heterogeneity (45%), emergence (24%), absence of a continuum (5%), and other unknown reasons (26%). In general, the challenges and concepts of IBM modeling for microbes and higher trophic levels are similar. However, there are differences in the microbe population dynamics and their environment that create somewhat different challenges, which have led to somewhat different modeling concepts. Several topics are discussed, including producing, maintaining and changing population heterogeneity (different life histories, internal variability, positive feedback, inter-generation memory), dealing with very large numbers of individuals (different up-scaling methods, including representative space vs. super-individual, number vs. biomass based, discrete vs. continuous kinetics, various agent accounting methods), handling space, simulating interactions with the extracellular environment (hybrid Eulerian–Lagrangian approach), modeling agent–agent interaction (self-shading, predation, shoving) and passive transport (random walk with spatially variable diffusivity, well-mixed reactors). Overall, the literature indicates that the application of IBM to microbes is developing into a mature field. However, several challenges remain, including simulating various types of agent–agent interactions (formation and function of colonies or filaments, sexual reproduction) and even smaller individuals (viruses, genes). Further increases in intracellular detail and complexity in microbe IBMs may be considered the combination of systems biology and systems ecology, or the new field of systems bioecology.     

Sensitivity analysis of the two dimensional application of the Generic Ecological Model (GEM) to algal bloom prediction in the North Sea

Harmful algae can cause damage to co-existing organisms, tourism and farmers. Accurate predictions of algal future composition and abundance as well as when and where algal blooms may occur could help early warning and mitigating. The Generic Ecological Model is an instrument that can be applied to any water system (fresh, transitional or coastal) to calculate the primary production, chlorophyll-a concentration and phytoplankton species composition. It consists of physical, chemical and ecological model components which are coupled together to build one generic and flexible modelling tool. In this paper the model has been analyzed to assess sensitivity of the simulated chlorophyll-a concentration to a subset of ecologically significant input factors. Only a small number of approaches could be considered as suitable for several reasons including the model complexity, engagement of numerous interacting parameters and relatively long time of a single simulation. Thus, sensitivity analysis has been carried out with the use of the Morris method and later enriched by the computation of the correlation ratios of the selected parameters on the model response at more than a few locations in the modelled area. The obtained results are in agreement with expert knowledge of the ecological processes in the North Sea and correspond well with local characteristics.     

Critical Assessment of Claims Regarding Management of Feral Cats by Trap–Neuter–Return

Abstract:  Many jurisdictions have adopted programs to manage feral cats by trap–neuter–return (TNR), in which cats are trapped and sterilized, then returned to the environment to be fed and cared for by volunteer caretakers. Most conservation biologists probably do not realize the extent and growth of this practice and that the goal of some leading TNR advocates is that cats ultimately be recognized and treated as protected wildlife. We compared the arguments put forth in support of TNR by many feral cat advocates with the scientific literature. Advocates promoting TNR often claim that feral cats harm wildlife only on islands and not on continents; fill a natural or realized niche; do not contribute to the decline of native species; and are insignificant vectors or reservoirs of disease. Advocates also frequently make claims about the effectiveness of TNR, including claims that colonies of feral cats are eventually eliminated by TNR and that managed colonies resist invasion by other cats. The scientific literature contradicts each of these claims. TNR of feral cats is primarily viewed and regulated as an animal welfare issue, but it should be seen as an environmental issue, and decisions to implement it should receive formal environmental assessment. Conservation scientists have a role to play by conducting additional research on the effects of feral cats on wildlife and by communicating sound scientific information about this problem to policy makers.     

Ecological network analysis for water use systems—A case study of the Yellow River Basin

Ecological network analysis (ENA) is introduced in this paper as a promising approach to study water use systems. Information indices from ENA involving total system throughput (TST), ascendency and overhead are calculated here. Two related aspects including organization inherent in system structures and synthesized water use intensity related with sustainable development of water use systems are analyzed. The indices of ascendency and overhead are applied for analyzing and characterizing water use network organization. For comparison of sustainability of water use systems from integrated aspects of environment, society and economy and based on TST, a new indicator termed as total system throughput intensity (TSTI) is constructed incorporating parameters of land, precipitation, population, GDP and environmental flow, which can be used as a measure of sustainability in terms of synthesized water use intensity. The Yellow River Basin in China during 1998–2006 is chosen as the case study and divided into subsystems according to the six river sections as from source to Lanzhou (S1-L1), Lanzhou to Toudaoguai (L1-T), Toudaoguai to Longmen (T-L2), Longmen to Sanmenxia (L2-S2), Sanmenxia to Huayuankou (S2-H) and Huayuankou to the mouth of Bo Sea (H-B). The results show that (i) the organization levels of L1-T and H-B are better than those of S1-L1 and T-L2, with those of L2-S2 and S2-H the worst; (ii) the synthesized water use intensity has been improving, of which T-L2, L2-S2 and S2-H are at the highest levels while H-B the lowest. In addition, the comparison between TSTI and other metrics and the relationship between ascendency and TSTI are discussed, from which the importance of TSTI is reflected and the optimization criterions for sustainable development of six subsystems are derived. It can be concluded that the application of ENA in water use systems can provide new angles for water resource management to address the challenges of assessing and optimizing options to obtain more sustainable water use.     

Cadmium uptake by a phytoplankton species in the presence of different inhibitors&

The uptake of cadmium by the Haptophyceae Hymenomonas elongata was studied as regards the energetic processes and Ca‐transport. For this purpose, experiments were carried out in the presence of an uncoupler of the phosphorylation : CCCP and of an inhibitor of calcium channels and also of Ca²⁺‐ATPase : verapamil. To reduce the number of assays, a factorial experimental design was used, in which all variables:— concentration of Cd in the medium—incubation time and—the presence of the inhibitor, are at two levels. In the absence of inhibitor, Cd uptake was found to vary as a function of metal concentration in the medium and of incubation time. CCCP significantly increased Cd uptake by H. elongata at sufficient incubation time. Therefore Cd uptake seemed linked to an energy‐dependent process, involving an ATPase. Verapamil immediately increased Cd uptake, implying an interaction between Cd and Ca.     

Comparison of Modern and Historical Fish Catches (AD 750–1400) to Inform Goals for Marine Protected Areas and Sustainable Fisheries

Abstract: We tested the unsustainable fishing hypothesis that species in assemblages of fish differ in relative abundance as a function of their size, growth rates, vagility, trophic level, and diet by comparing species composition in historical bone middens, modern fisheries, and areas closed to fishing. Historical data came from one of the earliest and most enduring Swahili coastal settlements (approximately AD 750–1400). Modern data came from fisheries near the archeological site and intensively harvested fishing grounds in southern Kenya. The areas we sampled that were closed to fishing (closures) were small (<28 km²) and permanent. The midden data indicated changes in the fish assemblage that are consistent with a weak expansion of fishing intensity and the unsustainable fishing hypothesis. Fishes represented in the early midden assemblages from AD 750 to 950 had longer life spans, older age at maturity, and longer generation times than fish assemblages after AD 950, when the abundance of species with longer maximum body lengths increased. Changes in fish life histories during the historical period were, however, one‐third smaller than differences between the historical and modern assemblages. Fishes in the modern assemblage had smaller mean body sizes, higher growth and mortality rates, a higher proportion of microinvertivores, omnivores, and herbivores, and higher rates of food consumption, whereas the historical assemblage had a greater proportion of piscivores and macroinvertivores. Differences in fish life histories between modern closures and modern fishing grounds were also small, but the life histories of fishes in modern closures were more similar to those in the midden before AD 950 because they had longer life spans, older age at maturity, and a higher proportion of piscivores and macroinvertivores than the modern fisheries. Modern closures and historical fish assemblages were considerably different, although both contained species with longer life spans.     

Prospects for stakeholder coordination by protected‐area managers in Europe

Growing resource demands by humans, invasive species, natural hazards, and a changing climate have created broad‐scale impacts and the need for broader‐extent conservation activities that span ownerships and even political borders. Implementing regional‐scale conservation brings great challenges, and learning how to overcome these challenges is essential for maintaining biodiversity (i.e., richness and evenness of biological communities) and ecosystem functions and services across scales and borders in the face of system change. We administered an online survey to examine factors potentially driving perspectives of protected‐area (PA) managers regarding coordination with neighboring PAs and other stakeholders (i.e., stakeholder coordination) for conserving biodiversity and ecosystem services during the next decade within diverse regions across Europe. Although >70% (n = 58) of responding PA managers indicated that climate change and invasive species are relevant for their PAs, they gave <50% probability that these threats could be mitigated through stakeholder coordination. They thought there was a >60% probability (n = 85) that stakeholder coordination would take place with the aim to improve conservation outcomes. Consistent with the foundation on which many European PAs were established, managers viewed maintaining or enhancing biodiversity as the most important (>70%; n = 61) expected benefit. Other benefits included maintaining or enhancing human resources and environmental education (range of Bayesian credibility intervals [CIs] 57–93%). They thought the main barriers to stakeholder coordination were the lack of human and economic resources (CI 59–67% chance of hindering; n = 64) followed by communication and interstakeholder differences in political structures and laws (CI 51–64% probability of hindering). European policies and strategies that address these hindering factors could be particularly effective means of enabling implementation of green infrastructure networks in which PAs are the nodes.     

Meta‐Analysis of the Effects of Human Disturbance on Seed Dispersal by Animals

Animal‐mediated seed dispersal is important for sustaining biological diversity in forest ecosystems, particularly in the tropics. Forest fragmentation, hunting, and selective logging modify forests in myriad ways and their effects on animal‐mediated seed dispersal have been examined in many case studies. However, the overall effects of different types of human disturbance on animal‐mediated seed dispersal are still unknown. We identified 35 articles that provided 83 comparisons of animal‐mediated seed dispersal between disturbed and undisturbed forests; all comparisons except one were conducted in tropical or subtropical ecosystems. We assessed the effects of forest fragmentation, hunting, and selective logging on seed dispersal of fleshy‐fruited tree species. We carried out a meta‐analysis to test whether forest fragmentation, hunting, and selective logging affected 3 components of animal‐mediated seed dispersal: frugivore visitation rate, number of seeds removed, and distance of seed dispersal. Forest fragmentation, hunting, and selective logging did not affect visitation rate and were marginally associated with a reduction in seed‐dispersal distance. Hunting and selective logging, but not fragmentation, were associated with a large reduction in the number of seeds removed. Fewer seeds of large‐seeded than of small‐seeded tree species were removed in hunted or selectively logged forests. A plausible explanation for the consistently negative effects of hunting and selective logging on large‐seeded plant species is that large frugivores, as the predominant seed dispersers for large‐seeded plant species, are the first animals to be extirpated from hunted or logged forests. The reduction in forest area after fragmentation appeared to have weaker effects on frugivore communities and animal‐mediated seed dispersal than hunting and selective logging. The differential effects of hunting and selective logging on large‐ and small‐seeded tree species underpinned case studies that showed disrupted plant‐frugivore interactions could trigger a homogenization of seed traits in tree communities in hunted or logged tropical forests. Meta Análisis de los Efectos de la Perturbación Humana sobre la Dispersión de Semillas por Animales     

Land‐use history as a guide for forest conservation and management

Conservation efforts to protect forested landscapes are challenged by climate projections that suggest substantial restructuring of vegetation and disturbance regimes in the future. In this regard, paleoecological records that describe ecosystem responses to past variations in climate, fire, and human activity offer critical information for assessing present landscape conditions and future landscape vulnerability. We illustrate this point drawing on 8 sites in the northwestern United States, New Zealand, Patagonia, and central and southern Europe that have undergone different levels of climate and land‐use change. These sites fall along a gradient of landscape conditions that range from nearly pristine (i.e., vegetation and disturbance shaped primarily by past climate and biophysical constraints) to highly altered (i.e., landscapes that have been intensely modified by past human activity). Position on this gradient has implications for understanding the role of natural and anthropogenic disturbance in shaping ecosystem dynamics and assessments of present biodiversity, including recognizing missing or overrepresented species. Dramatic vegetation reorganization occurred at all study sites as a result of postglacial climate variations. In nearly pristine landscapes, such as those in Yellowstone National Park, climate has remained the primary driver of ecosystem change up to the present day. In Europe, natural vegetation–climate–fire linkages were broken 6000–8000 years ago with the onset of Neolithic farming, and in New Zealand, natural linkages were first lost about 700 years ago with arrival of the Maori people. In the U.S. Northwest and Patagonia, the greatest landscape alteration occurred in the last 150 years with Euro‐American settlement. Paleoecology is sometimes the best and only tool for evaluating the degree of landscape alteration and the extent to which landscapes retain natural components. Information on landscape‐level history thus helps assess current ecological change, clarify management objectives, and define conservation strategies that seek to protect both natural and cultural elements.