土壤酶和微生物量碳对土壤低浓度重金属污染的响应及其影响因子研究

土壤酶和微生物量碳是反映土壤健康的重要微生物性质指标。土壤重金属污染能够对土壤微生物性质产生影响,然而土壤酶和微生物量碳对土壤重金属污染的响应受到土壤本身理化性质的影响。通过北京市建成区233个样点的数据监测和实验室模拟,研究了土壤脲酶活性和微生物量碳对土壤低浓度重金属污染的响应以及受土壤理化性质的影响。研究结果表明:在野外主要重金属污染的浓度范围内(Cd 0.003~0.98μg·g-1,Cu 13.4~207.9μg·g-1,Zn 29.4~322μg·g-1,Pb 4.02~174μg·g-1),土壤脲酶活性、微生物量碳(MBC)和有机碳(SOC)的含量与土壤中Cd、Cu、Zn和Pb的浓度正相关,而微生物量碳占有机碳的比率(MBC/SOC)与重金属浓度负相关;脲酶活性、MBC/SOC与重金属浓度建立的相关关系只能解释总变异的5%~10%。实验室模拟试验表明,土壤酶活性受土壤重金属含量和土壤性质联合效应的影响;土壤有机质含量和pH是影响酶活性的主要土壤理化性质。引入土壤有机碳含量和pH两个参数,重新建立脲酶活性、MBC/SOC与土壤中重金属浓度的关系,建立的相关关系的决定系数变大,能够解释总变异的14%~17%。     

造纸干粉和糠醛渣对滨海盐碱地玉米生长和土壤微生物性状的影响

通过在江苏省东台市黄海原种场的田间试验,研究了施用造纸干粉和糠醛渣对滨海盐碱地土壤微生物活性与玉米(Zea mays)生长及籽粒全氮含量的影响。与对照相比,施加造纸干粉和糠醛渣后土壤pH值均显著降低(P0.05),土壤微生物代谢活性则显著升高(P0.05);此外,施糠醛渣处理土壤微生物物种均一度(McIntosh)指数显著升高(P0.05),而土壤脲酶活性亦由对照的过高水平(0.50 mg·g-1·d-1)降至0.33 mg·g-1·d-1(P0.05)。施加造纸干粉后,植株地上部和地下部生物量比对照分别提高29%和13%,籽粒产量由1 119 kg·hm-2提高到1 515 kg·hm-2;施加糠醛渣后,植株地上部和地下部生物量比对照分别提高60%和65%(P0.05),籽粒产量则提高到2 371 kg·hm-2,且籽粒全氮含量由对照的过高水平(22.43 mg·g-1)降至18.26 mg·g-1(P0.05)。综上所述,施用造纸干粉和糠醛渣均可缓解盐碱胁迫对玉米生长的影响,同时能提高土壤微生物代谢活性,并且施用糠醛渣对土壤生物性状和玉米籽粒品质的调理效果优于造纸干粉。     

包膜控释和常用氮肥氮素淋溶特征及其对土水质量的影响

大量施用氮素化肥所引起的氮素损失和环境污染正日益受到重视。通过土柱模拟氮素养分的淋洗试验,探讨包膜控释氮肥和常用氮肥的氮素淋失特点及其对土壤和地下水质量的影响。研究结果表明,不同氮肥施入土壤后氮素的淋失率有着显著的差异,其中硝酸钾中氮素淋失率最高,其次为尿素,硫酸铵和碳铵的氮素淋失量明显较小。然而控释氮肥因其控制释放的特点,在氮素释放的高峰期,其模拟淋失量较高,但如果在田间条件下此释放高峰期与作物吸肥高峰期相吻合,则会显著地降低其淋失率。除尿素外,被淋失的氮素均以硝态氮为主,尿素则以酰胺分子态被淋溶。大量速效化肥的施入会形成土壤中的肥料"微域点",引起交换性Ca2+、Mg2+离子的淋失,从长远来看可引起土壤结构的破坏,而施用控释肥则很少形成这种"微域点",有利于土壤结构和肥力的维持。不同氮肥处理淋洗后对土壤pH值和有效氮含量变化的影响差异较大,其中以控释肥对土壤pH值变化的影响较小。大多数氮肥处理在淋洗后,土壤中各层速效氮含量较淋洗前有所降低,然而两种控释氮肥处理的土壤表层却能持续保持较高的有效氮含量。     

施氮对不同有机碳水平桉树林土壤微生物群落结构和功能的影响

碳、氮是影响土壤微生物群落结构和功能的2种重要生源要素,但研究施氮对人工林土壤微生物群落影响时很少考虑土壤有机碳水平。本研究以我国南方桉树Eucalyptus人工林为对象,研究施氮水平(对照:0 kg·hm-2,常规施氮水平166.8kg·hm-2,施二倍氮素水平333.7 kg·hm-2)对不同有机碳水平桉树林土壤微生物群落结构(磷脂脂肪酸构成)和功能(土壤酶活性及可溶性土壤有机碳含量)的影响,结果表明:施氮显著降低土壤微生物群落磷脂脂肪酸总量以及细菌、真菌、放线菌磷脂脂肪酸量和真菌/细菌比值(P0.05);区分不同处理的土壤微生物磷脂脂肪酸主要是:真菌特征脂肪酸16:1ω5c、18:1ω9c、18:2ω9c及细菌特征脂肪酸16:1ω7c、i17:0和放线菌特征脂肪酸10Me18:0;施氮显著增加了土壤纤维素酶、酚氧化酶活性及土壤可溶性有机碳含量(P0.05);尽管高土壤有机碳水平样地的土壤微生物磷脂脂肪酸量、土壤酶活性以及可溶性有机碳含量显著高于低土壤有机碳水平样地,但低、高土壤有机碳水平样地的土壤微生物群落结构和功能对施氮的响应不一致,土壤细菌、真菌、放线菌磷脂脂肪酸量以及酚氧化酶活性和土壤可溶性有机碳含量在低土壤有机碳水平样地中对施氮的响应更敏感,而这些指标在高土壤有机碳水平样地中只有在施二倍氮素处理中才显著降低或不变化。该研究结果表明不同土壤有机碳水平中的土壤微生物群落对施氮的响应不一致,强调了在全面认识氮肥施用对土壤微生物群落的影响时,需要充分考虑土壤有机碳水平。     

低浓度Pb^2＋对Cd^2＋污染下冬小麦幼苗根微域土壤水解酶活性及与根微域土壤生化特征关系的影响

采用盆栽试验法探讨了Cd^2＋、低于国家“土壤环境质量标准”规定的II类土壤环境基准值300mg-kg^-1干土时的Pb^2＋与Cd^2＋复合处理对冬小麦幼苗根微域土壤磷酸酶、转化酶和脲酶活性及与根微域土壤微生物数量和生化特征关系的影响特征。结果表明：（1）Cd^2＋对冬小麦幼苗根微域土壤转化酶、脲酶和磷酸酶活性表现为显著抑制效应;而低浓度Pb^2＋主要表现为协同Cd抖污染抑制根微域土壤水解酶活性效应;（2）Cd^2＋处理下,磷酸酶活性与微域土壤有机质含量呈极显著正相关;转化酶活性与细菌、真菌和放线菌数量呈显著负相关,与有机质呈显著正相关;脲酶活性与细菌、真菌和放线菌数量及微生物量碳表现为极显著正相关;（3）Pb^2＋／cd^2＋处理下,碱性磷酸酶活性与微生物量碳表现为显著正相关;转化酶活性与全氮含量表现为显著负相关,与有机质含量呈极显著正相关;脲酶活性与全氮呈极显著正相关,与有机质为极显著负相关,总体来讲,Cd^2＋／Pb2＋与Cd^2＋处理之间酶活性与生化特征的关系存在明显差异;同时Pb^2＋／Cd^2＋处理下磷酸酶、转化酶和脲酶活性与土壤微生物数量之间的相关性特点与Cd^2＋处理下也明显不同。     

四川盆地西缘4种人工林土壤氮转化酶的季节动态

于2015年3月、6月、9月和12月采集四川盆地西缘都江堰灵岩山4种人工林(柳杉林、含笑林、桢楠林、麻栎林)两个层次(0-20 cm和20-40 cm)的土壤样品,测定3种与氮转化相关的土壤酶(脲酶、硝酸还原酶和亚硝酸还原酶)活性,比较其季节动态,,为区域人工林生态恢复与重建提供科学依据.结果显示,相比亚硝酸还原酶,土壤脲酶和硝酸还原酶表现出明显的季节动态.在同一土壤层次,3种土壤酶活性在不同林型下具有相似的季节动态.春季时期两个层次土壤脲酶活性显著高于其他3个季节;秋季时期4种人工林均具有较高的土壤硝酸还原酶活性.土壤脲酶活性4个季节平均值由高到低依次为桢楠林(0.914 mg/g)、含笑林(0.704 mg/g)、柳杉林(0.647 mg/g)和麻栎林(0.640 mg/g);土壤硝酸还原酶活性4个季节平均值由高到低依次为柳杉林(0.017mg/g)、含笑林(0.016mg/g)、麻栎林(0.014mg/g)和桢楠林(0.013 mg/g);亚硝酸还原酶4个季节平均值由高到低依次为桢楠林(0.286 mg/g)、含笑林(0.276 mg/g)、柳杉林(0.273 mg/g)和麻栎林(0.236 mg/g).方差分析表明林型对土壤酶的影响与季节、土壤层次和酶种类有关.综上所述,相比于林型,季节动态对土壤氮转化酶活性具有更大的影响.(图2表3参32)     

施用控释氮肥对早稻田面水氮素动态变化和水稻产量的影响

湖南是中国重要的水稻(OryzasativaL.)产区,随着农业现代化的发展,施用更多化肥成为水稻增产的主要途径,这不仅造成资源浪费,更加重了农业面源污染风险。通过水稻田间小区试验,设置了不施氮肥(WN)、常规施用尿素(CF)、控释氮肥(N100)、90%氮量控释氮肥(N90)、80%氮量控释氮肥(N80)、70%氮量控释氮肥(N70)6个处理,对田面水中各形态氮素含量进行动态监测,研究施用控释氮肥对早稻田面水各形态氮素动态变化特征和水稻产量的影响,以期探寻兼顾经济效益与环境效益的控释氮肥最佳用量,实现稻作清洁生产。结果表明:早稻田面水各形态氮素浓度均随施氮量增加而增加,且以施用尿素处理浓度较高或最高,不施氮肥处理最低,控释氮肥各处理居中;各形态氮素浓度均在施用基肥或追肥后1～4 d内达到峰值,随后不断降低;综合考虑施用基肥和追肥后各形态氮素浓度变化规律可知,施肥后10 d内是防止田面水氮素流失的关键时期;控释氮肥各处理水稻产量与尿素处理无显著性差异,施用控释氮肥能达到减氮、稳产效果。本试验中,理论施用控释氮肥101.46 kg·hm~(-2)时是兼顾经济效益与环境效益的施肥方案。     

控释肥与尿素配合施用对稻季土壤CH_4和N_2O排放的影响

为明确控释肥和尿素配合施用对稻季土壤CH_4和N_2O排放的影响,通过田间原位试验,采用人工密闭箱法,观测氮肥(尿素单施、控释肥与尿素配合施用)及不同施氮水平(0、80、160、240 kg·hm~(-2))下水稻生长季土壤CH_4和N_2O的排放通量,以寻求综合温室效应最小的施肥管理措施。结果表明:水稻生长季N_2O排放总量、水稻产量均随氮肥施用量的增加而增加,而CH_4排放总量、综合温室效应与氮肥施用量之间没有显著相关性。控释肥与尿素配合施用对水稻生长季CH_4和N_2O排放及水稻产量的影响因氮肥施用量的不同而不同。与尿素单施相比,不同施氮水平下配合施用控释肥能有效降低N_2O排放总量3.6%~49.6%,其中,烤田期是控释肥发挥减排作用的关键时期。与尿素单施相比,在80 kg·hm~(-2)和160 kg·hm~(-2)施氮水平上,配施控释肥分别增加CH_4排放总量48.1%和27.5%及稻田综合温室效应45.0%和22.8%,而水稻产量无显著差异;在240 kg·hm~(-2)施氮水平上,配施控释肥处理土壤CH_4排放总量降低4.2~15.1%,水稻产量增加5.7%~13.9%,且综合温室效应降低7.5%~19.8%。在240 kg·hm~(-2)施氮水平上,与尿素∶控释肥为3∶7、1.5∶8.5、0∶1的配施处理相比,尿素∶控释肥为4.5∶5.5配施处理的综合温室效应最小,且水稻产量最高。因此,施氮量为240 kg·hm~(-2),尿素和控释肥按4.5∶5.5比例混合施用可作为稻田控释肥推荐施用方式。     

沼液对甘蓝连作土壤生物学性质的影响

以施用化肥225 kg/hm2为对照,设置两种不同的沼液用量(以纯氮计):沼液I(168 kg/hm2)和沼液II(225 kg/hm2),通过连续3 a的甘蓝种植试验,研究沼液对甘蓝连作土壤微生物区系、土壤酶活性以及土壤养分与土壤酶活性之间的相关性.结果表明:1)施用沼液显著改善了连作土壤的微生物区系,溶磷细菌、解钾细菌、氨化细菌、固氮菌和放线菌的数量显著增加;同时抑制了真菌的富集.两种不同用量的沼液处理较化肥处理的土壤细菌/真菌(B/F)值分别提高了142.7%和202.3%.2)在225 kg/hm2等氮水平下,施用沼液显著提高了土壤的蔗糖酶、磷酸酶和蛋白酶活性,较之化肥处理分别提高了63.96%、137.61%和139.66%;同时显著降低了土壤过氧化氢酶和多酚氧化酶活性.3)土壤养分与土壤酶活性相关性分析表明,有机质含量与土壤脲酶、磷酸酶、蔗糖酶和蛋白酶活性呈显著正相关,与过氧化氢酶活性呈显著负相关,而与多酚氧化酶活性无明显相关性;磷酸酶活性与土壤速效磷含量呈显著正相关;蛋白酶活性与土壤碱解氮、全氮含量呈显著正相关.表4参24     

缓释氮肥对菊芋生长季土壤CH4和N2O排放的影响

设置尿素+硝化抑制剂(U+DCD)、尿素+脲酶抑制剂(U+HQ)、脲甲醛(UF)、钙镁磷肥包膜尿素(CM-CU)、树脂包膜尿素(PCU)、硫包尿素(SCU)6种缓释氮肥处理以及普通尿素(U)处理,在江苏大丰进行小区试验,采用静态箱-气相色谱法同步观测沿海滩涂能源植物——菊芋(Helianthus tuberosus)生长季土壤的CH4和N2O排放通量及其减排潜力。结果表明,在2010年整个菊芋生长季,U、PCU、UF、SCU、CMCU、U+HQ和U+DCD处理土壤CH4排放总量依次为1.25、0.59、0.43、0.27、0.25、0.26和-0.21 kg.hm-2。与普通尿素处理相比,除U+DCD处理外,其余施用缓释氮肥处理可使CH4排放量减少53%～80%。生长季PCU、SCU、CMCU、U、UF、U+HQ和U+DCD处理的N2O排放总量分别为2.94、2.44、2.27、2.24、1.77、1.47和1.34 kg.hm-2。与普通尿素处理相比,施用化学型缓释氮肥(U+DCD、U+HQ和UF处理)使N2O排放量减少21%～40%,而施用物理型缓释氮肥(CM-CU、PCU和SCU处理)则使N2O排放量增加1%～31%。从全球增温潜势看,各化学型缓释氮肥处理均表现出显著的减排效果。     

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 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.     

Achieving Open Access to Conservation Science

Conservation science is a crisis discipline in which the results of scientific enquiry must be made available quickly to those implementing management. We assessed the extent to which scientific research published since the year 2000 in 20 conservation science journals is publicly available. Of the 19,207 papers published, 1,667 (8.68%) are freely downloadable from an official repository. Moreover, only 938 papers (4.88%) meet the standard definition of open access in which material can be freely reused providing attribution to the authors is given. This compares poorly with a comparable set of 20 evolutionary biology journals, where 31.93% of papers are freely downloadable and 7.49% are open access. Seventeen of the 20 conservation journals offer an open access option, but fewer than 5% of the papers are available through open access. The cost of accessing the full body of conservation science runs into tens of thousands of dollars per year for institutional subscribers, and many conservation practitioners cannot access pay‐per‐view science through their workplace. However, important initiatives such as Research4Life are making science available to organizations in developing countries. We urge authors of conservation science to pay for open access on a per‐article basis or to choose publication in open access journals, taking care to ensure the license allows reuse for any purpose providing attribution is given. Currently, it would cost $51 million to make all conservation science published since 2000 freely available by paying the open access fees currently levied to authors. Publishers of conservation journals might consider more cost effective models for open access and conservation‐oriented organizations running journals could consider a broader range of options for open access to nonmembers such as sponsorship of open access via membership fees. Obtención de Acceso Abierto a la Ciencia de la Conservación     

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.     

Comparison of the insecticidal effects of water extracted and intact aromatic plants onAcanthoscelides obtectus,a bruchid beetle pest of kidney beans

Summary Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) is one of the most damaging pests of kidney beans,Phaseolus vulgaris L. worldwide. However, aromatic plants from the families Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae and Poaceae can protect kidney beans by direct or delayed insecticidal effect, through increased adult mortality and inhibition of beetle reproduction (both oviposition and adult emergence). The efficiency of hydrodistillated and intact plants fromThymus vulgaris andT. serpyllum, Mentha piperata, Rosmarinus officinalis, Satureia hortensis, Eucalyptus globulus, Laurus nobilis, Origanum vulgare, andCymbopogon nardus was compared. For both extracts,Origanum vulgare had the best effect. The insecticidal effect was induced by more than the essential oils because no significant difference was noticed between distilled and intact plants extract. Inhibition of reproduction was particularly important. These results suggest that lipidic as well as non lipidic, allelochemicals, such as phenolics, or non-protein amino-acids, or flavonoids may be involved in the toxicity of aromatic plants to this beetle.     

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.     

Some polyphagous Homoptera gain protection from their natural enemies by feeding on the toxic plantsSpartium junceum andErythrina corallodendrum (Leguminosae)

Summary Interactions were studied among alkaloid-containing legumes (Erythrina corallodendrum andSpartium junceum) and non-toxic plants (Citrus sinensis, Cucurbita moschata andEuphorbia tirucalli), several polyphagous homopterans,Aphis craccivora (Aphididae),Icerya purchasi, I. aegyptiaca (Margarodidae),Lepidosaphes ulmi (Diaspididae) andPlanococcus citri (Pseudococcidae), and some major natural enemies of these homopterans. Significant reductions in survival due to negative effects of alkaloid containing as compared with non-alkaloidal plants were recorded for the predatorsRodolia cardinalis andChilocorus bipustulatus, but not forCryptolaemus montrouzieri (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae),Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) andSympherobius sanctus (Neuroptera: Sympherobiidae). The development time of the larvae or pupae ofR. cardinalis, C. carnea andS. sanctus was longer on the toxic plants than on the non-toxic ones. The percentage of parasitism ofA. craccivora collected from the non-alkaloidal plantsVicia palaestina andMelilotus albus was much higher than that onS. junceum. The parasitoid complexes ofA. craccivora differed between both plant groups. The nutritive value of honeydew ofI. purchasi andA. craccivora, as expressed by the life span ofEncyrtus infelix (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) adults, was also investigated. Life spans were significantly longer when the wasps fed on honeydew produced on non-alkaloidal plants (C. sinensis andPittosporum tobira) than on alkaloid containing plants whenI. purchasi — but notA. craccivora — was the producer. It is suggested that the chemical defense ofE. corallodendrum andS. junceum is exploited by polyphagous phytophages to reduce predation. In nature, population growth and density of four of the investigated homopterans are conspicuously high when they developed on the alkaloid containing plant species, and very low on non-alkaloid plants. The efficiency of their natural enemies may be reduced by sequestration of alkaloids (or other toxic plant compounds) or their transfer into excreted honeydew. Therefore it is assumed that a generalist phytophagous homopteran may be protected from its natural enemies, although at different rates of efficiency, if it can safely sequester the host allelochemical when it develops on toxic species within its host range.