Simple Spatial Modeling Tool for Prioritizing Prescribed Burning Activities at the Landscape Scale

Abstract:   Resources for prescribed fire are frequently insufficient to manage public lands for all conservation and resource management objectives, necessitating prioritization of the application of fire across the landscape within any given year. Defining tradeoffs when applying prescribed fire to large landscapes is problematic not only because of the complexity of weighing competing management objectives at the landscape scale, but also because of the difficult nature of independently applying need-to-burn criteria to large areas. We present a case study of a simple modeling process implemented at Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle (U.S.A.) to prioritize the application of prescribed fire. In a workshop setting, managers and biologists identified key conservation criteria and landscape management objectives that drive the application of prescribed fire. Remote sensing and other spatial data were developed to directly or indirectly represent all these criteria. Using geographic information system software, managers and biologists weighted each criterion according to its relative contribution to overall burn prioritization, and individual values for the criterion were scored according to how they influence the need to burn. Subsequently, this process has been validated and modified through ecological monitoring. This modeling process has also been applied to the 77,400-ha Blackwater River State Forest, public land adjacent to Eglin Air Force Base, demonstrating its applicability to lands with varying management priorities. The advantages of this model-based approach for prioritizing prescribed fire include the reliance on accessible, inexpensive software, the development of spatially explicit management objectives, the ease of transferability, and clearly stated assumptions about management that may be tested and reviewed through monitoring and public comment.     

森林景观格局研究中的尺度效应

以TM影像和野外调查为数据源,以3S技术为研究手段,从研究区域不同的取样尺度入手,分析了尺度变化对区域景观格局研究的影响.结果表明,研究区景观斑块的数量、最大斑块面积与取样面积之间关系密切.取样面积对景观格局的影响分析显示,在取样面积为研究区面积的70%时,景观多样性最高,平均多样性指数为1.854.当取样面积小于总面积的69%时,景观优势度指数呈增加的趋势.图4表2参16     

Local Gradients of Cowbird Abundance and Parasitism Relative to Livestock Grazing in a Western Landscape

Abstract: We studied local patterns of Brown-headed Cowbird ( Molothrus ater ) abundance, parasitism rates, and nest success of a common host, the Plumbeous Vireo ( Vireo plumbeus ), in relation to the distribution of livestock grazing in an undeveloped region of northeastern New Mexico, 1992–1997. We predicted that both cowbird abundance and parasitism rates of vireo nests would decrease with increasing distance from active livestock grazing, and that the nesting success of vireos would increase. We measured cowbird abundance and host density and located and monitored vireo nests in pinyon-juniper and mixed-conifer habitats that ranged from actively grazed to isolated from livestock grazing by up to 12 km. Cowbird abundance declined with distance from active livestock grazing and was not related to host density or habitat type. Brood parasitism levels of vireo nests ( n = 182) decreased from> 80% in actively grazed habitats to 33% in habitats that were 8–12 km from active grazing but did not vary by habitat type or distance to forest edge. Vireo nesting success was higher in mixed-conifer habitat than in pinyon-juniper but was unrelated to distance from active livestock grazing. Nest losses due to parasitism declined with distance from active livestock grazing. Our results suggest that cowbird abundance and parasitism rates of hosts may be distributed as a declining gradient based on distance from cowbird feeding sites and that isolation from feeding sites can reduce the effects of parasitism on host populations. These findings provide support for management techniques that propose to reduce local cowbird numbers and parasitism levels by manipulating the distribution of cowbird feeding sites. The presence of parasitized nests> 8 km from active livestock grazing suggests that, in some regions, management efforts may need to occur at larger scales than previously realized.     

Wildfire, Fuel Reduction, and Herpetofaunas across Diverse Landscape Mosaics in Northwestern Forests

Abstract:  The herpetofauna (amphibians and reptiles) of northwestern forests (U.S.A.) is diverse, and many species are locally abundant. Most forest amphibians west of the Cascade Mountain crest are associated with cool, cascading streams or coarse woody material on the forest floor, which are characteristics of mature forests. Extensive loss and fragmentation of habitat resulted from logging across approximately 50% of old-growth forests in northern California and approximately 80% of stands in Oregon and Washington. There is a complex landscape mosaic and overlap of northern and southern biotic elements in the Klamath-Siskiyou Region along the Oregon and California border, creating a biodiversity hotspot. The region experiences many low-severity fires annually, punctuated by periodic major fires, including the Biscuit fire, the largest in North America in 2002. In the fire's northern portion, severe fire occurred on >50% of stands of young, managed trees but on only about 25–33% of old-growth stands. This suggests that the legacy of timber harvest may produce fire-prone stands. Calls for prescribed fire and thinning to reduce fuel loads will remove large amounts of coarse woody material from forests, which reduces cover for amphibians and alters nutrient inputs to streams. Our preliminary evidence suggests no negative effects of wildfire on terrestrial amphibians, but stream amphibians decrease following wildfire. Most reptiles are adapted to open terrain, so fire usually improves their habitat. Today, the challenge is to maintain biodiversity in western forests in the face of intense political pressures designed to "prevent" catastrophic fires. We need a dedicated research effort to understanding how fire affects biota and to proactively investigate outcomes of fuel-reduction management on wildlife in western forests.     

Parasitism can influence the intertidal zonation of non-host organisms

We investigated habitat utilization in Blainvilles beaked whale, Mesoplodon densirostris, in the northern Bahamas and, as such, this is the first analysis of fine-scale habitat utilization of any member of the genus Mesoplodon. We divided the area into 500×500 m grid squares and each square was assigned a classification for presence or absence of Blainvilles beaked whales, along with details of water depth, seabed gradient and seabed aspect. All squares where Blainvilles beaked whales occurred had gradients from 68 to 296 m/km and depths from 136 to 1,319 m and most faced northeast compared with 0–526 m/km, 10–3,000 m and all aspects for the whole study area. Generalized additive models and classification trees indicated that, in order of importance, aspect, gradient and depth were related to occurrence of Blainvilles beaked whales within the study area. We hypothesize that the relationships between habitat utilization and these topographic variables relates to the effects of interactions between a deepwater current and the seabed topography on preferred prey. Locally, prey animals may be concentrated in areas with a northeast aspect, intermediate gradients and depths between 200 and 1,000 m where the Deep Western Boundary Current is forced towards the surface by the local topography. These are the areas where Blainvilles beaked whales preferentially occurred.Communicated by O. Kinne, Oldendorf/Luhe     

天宝岩自然保护区森林景观格局与环境关系的尺度效应分析

为揭示景观格局内演机制,在3S技术平台支撑下,借助TM遥感像图、植被分类图和二类调查数据,并引入CCA(Canonical Correspondence Analysis)排序方法,对天宝岩森林景观格局与环境的关系及其尺度效应进行定量分析.结果表明:随着取样尺度的递减,排序轴各特征值之和呈增大趋势,依次为:3.137、3.349、3.484、4.660及4.848;而累积景观–环境解释量和景观–环境相关系数皆呈先增后减的趋势,分别在scale3和scale2达到最大;景观类型分布呈现较为明显的纬度梯度变化规律(纬度与第一轴的相关系数:-0.2019~-0.3789)和垂直分布规律(海拔与第一轴的相关系数:-0.3218~-0.4760),其中沿纬度梯度上分布的景观类型依次为:竹林、落叶阔叶林、针阔混交林、农田、常绿阔叶林、山顶矮曲林、常绿针叶林、泥潭藓沼泽、灌草丛;在较低海拔上分布的景观类型主要有竹林和农田,在较高海拔上分布着泥潭藓沼泽、灌草丛和山顶矮曲林;景观格局与环境关系具有尺度效应,环境因子对景观格局分布的影响程度随着尺度的变化而变化.图2表2参36     

Maximum Plant-Community Endemism at Intermediate Intensities of Anthropogenic Disturbance in Bolivian Montane Forests

Abstract: I compared the endemism of four plant groups (Araceae, Bromeliaceae, Palmae, Pteridophyta) along gradients of increasing anthropogenic forest disturbance, from undisturbed mature forest to disturbed forest (logged, grazed, or burned), secondary forest, secondary scrub, and finally pasture, at 16 sites in the Bolivian Andes. I measured endemism as the mean inverse range size (number of 1° cells) of all species per study group encountered in each habitat and site. Overall, endemism was significantly higher in disturbed forest than in mature forest, but it declined in more strongly disturbed habitats. To explain the relationship of range size to habitat disturbance, I propose that endemic species are somewhat competitively inferior to other co-occurring taxa, limited in their ability to establish and maintain new populations following dispersal and thus to expand their ranges. Within their established ranges, endemic species depend on natural habitat disturbances to prevent their competitive exclusion by other species, so they profit from a certain level of anthropogenic disturbance. This pattern and the explanatory hypotheses should be subjected to critical evaluation. Although the pattern does not apply to every endemic tropical plant species, it indicates that conservation of part of the endemic tropical forest flora may be achieved in forest areas subject to sustainable forest use without the need to completely exclude human activities.     

鼎湖山5种森林土壤的无机氮和有效磷含量

研究了鼎湖25种森林--马尾松林(PF)、针阔叶混交林(混交林,MF)、季风常绿阔叶林(季风林,BF)、沟谷雨林(RF)和山地常绿阔叶林(山地林,MMF)下土壤无机氮(铵态氮NH4+-N+硝态氮NO3--N)和有效磷含量的垂直分布情况.5种森林分4个土层(0～10 cm、10～20 cm、20～40 cm和40～60 cm)进行比较.结果表明,无机氮、有效磷含量因不同森林类型而异.但都表现为:随着土层的加深,无机氮、有效磷呈减少的趋势,但无机氮与有效磷之比呈增加的趋势.随着森林的演替(马尾松林→混交林→季风林),4个土层中无机氮在逐渐积累,而有效磷仅在2个土层(0～10 cm和10～20cm)表现为此趋势;土壤无机氮的组成形式也发生变化,铵态氮占无机氮的比例表现为马尾松林>混交林>季风林.沿着海拔梯度分布的沟谷雨林、季风林和山地林土壤的无机氮和有效磷含量与海拔高度无明显的相关关系,但铵态氮占无机氮的比例大致表现为季风林<沟谷雨林<山地林的趋势.此外,在4个土层中,无机氮与有效磷之比分别与森林演替或是海拔高度都无明显的相关关系.图6表1参40     

大空间尺度上物种多样性的分布规律

物种多样性是生物多样性在物种水平上的表现形式.由于全球性保护行动的开展和多学科的相互渗透,把物种多样性研究推向大时空尺度方向发展,一些新的研究领域得到拓展.本文综述了物种多样性在大空间尺度上的经典研究(包括梯度变化格局、个体大小频次分布格局和物种-面积关系),同时着重探讨了经典研究的新认识及一些新领域内所揭示的新格局,主要有:生物类群间物种数的协同变化、物种和高级分类阶元的关系、局域物种多样性与区域物种多样性关系以及全球变化影响等等.参79     

Old-Growth Mangrove Forests in the United States

Criteria used to identify old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest have not been proven applicable in other ecological life zones. For example, Pacific Northwest criteria are not suitable for the identification of old-growth mangrove forests. To identify old-growth mangroves one has to take into account differences in stand structure and function due to geomorphology, within-site environmental gradients, and regional disturbance regimes. A flexible and holistic approach is needed. Stand age, defined in terms of Pacific Northwest forests, is not necessarily the best criterion for identifying for conservation mangrove forests or any forest outside the Pacific Northwest. No single stand will have all old-growth characteristics, and even if they are present in a stand, these characteristics do not necessarily assure that the stand is old growth. Whether a mangrove stand reaches old-growth stage depends on the dynamics of coastal conditions under which it grows. Moreover, it is necessary to differentiate between the age of trees in a stand and the age of the mangrove system, which includes the substrate. Old-growth mangrove stands are improbable states for this ecosystem type, and they can revert to younger stages. Mangroves offer a challenge to the concept of the old-growth forest, and through our analysis of this system we show that when ecosystem functions and states are evaluated it is necessary to avoid geographic biases based on particular ecological conditions.     

The Impact of Brown-Headed Cowbird Parasitism on Populations of the White-Crowned Sparrow

Brown-headed Cowbirds, Molothrus ater , are brood parasites on many species of North American Passerines. Cowbird parasitism is frequently cited as a contributing factor in the decline of United States passerine populations, based on three lines of evidence. First, range expansion and population increases by Cowbirds in this century are dramatic and well documented. Second, increasing rates of parasitism have been discovered in a variety of host species populations. Finally, direct negative effects of parasitism on certain vulnerable species notably Kirtland's Warbler, Dendroica kirtlandii , have been demonstrated. It remains unproven, however, that Cowbirds have significant negative effects on more abundant and widely-distributed hosts.
We report here on the impact of Cowbird parasitism on populations of Nuttall's White-crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli , in the San Francisco Bay Area. This widespread songbird is now subject to a 40–50% rate of parasitism in San Francisco, an increase from 5% only 15 years ago. Using known mortality and fecundity values, we calculate that this population of White-crowns cannot maintain its numbers when the parasitism rate exceeds approximately 20%. Present levels of parasitism thus appear to threaten the longevity survival of this adaptable Songbird in the San Francisco Bay Area.     

Integrating Landscape and Metapopulation Modeling Approaches: Viability of the Sharp-Tailed Grouse in a Dynamic Landscape

Abstract:  The lack of management experience at the landscape scale and the limited feasibility of experiments at this scale have increased the use of scenario modeling to analyze the effects of different management actions on focal species. However, current modeling approaches are poorly suited for the analysis of viability in dynamic landscapes. Demographic (e.g., metapopulation) models of species living in these landscapes do not incorporate the variability in spatial patterns of early successional habitats, and landscape models have not been linked to population viability models. We link a landscape model to a metapopulation model and demonstrate the use of this model by analyzing the effect of forest management options on the viability of the Sharp-tailed Grouse (  Tympanuchus phasianellus ) in the Pine Barrens region of northwestern Wisconsin (U.S.A.). This approach allows viability analysis based on landscape dynamics brought about by processes such as succession, disturbances, and silviculture. The landscape component of the model (LANDIS) predicts forest landscape dynamics in the form of a time series of raster maps. We combined these maps into a time series of patch structures, which formed the dynamic spatial structure of the metapopulation component (RAMAS). Our results showed that the viability of Sharp-tailed Grouse was sensitive to landscape dynamics and demographic variables such as fecundity and mortality. Ignoring the landscape dynamics gave overly optimistic results, and results based only on landscape dynamics (ignoring demography) lead to a different ranking of the management options than the ranking based on the more realistic model incorporating both landscape and demographic dynamics. Thus, models of species in dynamic landscapes must consider habitat and population dynamics simultaneously.     

Testing the Value of Six Taxonomic Groups as Biodiversity Indicators at a Local Scale

Abstract:  We examined six groups of taxa—woody plants, aquatic and terrestrial herpetofauna, small terrestrial birds, orchids, and Orthoptera—to determine their efficiency as biodiversity indicators in the Dadia Reserve in northern Greece. We investigated the indicator value of each group by examining the degree of congruence of its species-richness pattern with that of the other groups and the efficiency of its complementary network in conserving the other groups and biodiversity. The two techniques differed in many respects in their outputs, but they both showed woody plants as the best biodiversity indicator. There was in general low congruence in the species richness patterns across the different groups. Significant relationships were found between woody plants and birds, Orthoptera and terrestrial herpetofauna, and birds and aquatic herpetofauna. None of the optimal complementary networks of the groups we examined protected all species of the other groups. Nevertheless, the complementary network of woody plants adequately conserved all groups except orchids. We conclude that the principle of complementarity must be integrated into the methodology of evaluating an indicator. In an applied context, our results provide a scientific background on which to base a biomonitoring program for the Dadia Reserve. In a wider scope, if the group of woody plants prove an adequate biodiversity indicator for other Mediterranean areas as well, this will be important because it will facilitate conservation-related decisions for the entire Mediterranean region.     

流域水生态功能区划及其关键问题

作为流域生态系统管理和水资源保护的重要手段,如何科学合理地开展流域水生态功能区划,已成为世界各国可持续发展所面临的关键挑战之一.本文立足我国流域综合管理的特点和发展趋势,针对我国现行水功能区划的问题,结合国外流域水生态区划的经验,提出了基于流域生态学、地域分异规律、生态系统健康与生态完整性、流域生态系统管理等理论基础的,以恢复流域持续性、完整性生态系统健康为目标,反映流域水陆耦合体在不同时空尺度景观异质性的流域水生态功能区划及其原则,重点分析了流域水生态系统的空间格局、生态过程以及动态演替等3个区划的关键问题,并提出了区划的方法,以期为我国流域水生态功能区划和流域生态系统管理提供战略层次的科学依据.