A new procedure to optimize the selection of groups in a classification tree: Applications for ecological data

Agglomerative cluster analyses encompass many techniques, which have been widely used in various fields of science. In biology, and specifically ecology, datasets are generally highly variable and may contain outliers, which increase the difficulty to identify the number of clusters. Here we present a new criterion to determine statistically the optimal level of partition in a classification tree. The criterion robustness is tested against perturbated data (outliers) using an observation or variable with values randomly generated. The technique, called Random Simulation Test (RST), is tested on (1) the well-known Iris dataset [Fisher, R.A., 1936. The use of multiple measurements in taxonomic problems. Ann. Eugenic. 7, 179–188], (2) simulated data with predetermined numbers of clusters following Milligan and Cooper [Milligan, G.W., Cooper, M.C., 1985. An examination of procedures for determining the number of clusters in a data set. Psychometrika 50, 159–179] and finally (3) is applied on real copepod communities data previously analyzed in Beaugrand et al. [Beaugrand, G., Ibanez, F., Lindley, J.A., Reid, P.C., 2002. Diversity of calanoid copepods in the North Atlantic and adjacent seas: species associations and biogeography. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 232, 179–195]. The technique is compared to several standard techniques. RST performed generally better than existing algorithms on simulated data and proved to be especially efficient with highly variable datasets.     

Mine tailings composition in a historic site: implications for ecological restoration

Ecological restoration, using tolerant plant species and nutrient additions, is a low-cost option to decrease environmental risks associated with mine tailings. An attempt was previously made to establish such a vegetation cover on an abandoned tailings facility in Southern Ireland. Historically, the tailings site has been prone to dusting and is a potential source of contamination to the surrounding environment. The site was examined to determine the success of the previous restoration plan used to revegetate the site and to determine its suitability for further restoration. Three distinct floristic areas were identified (grassland, poor grassland and bare area) based on herbage compositions and elemental analysis. Surface and subsurface samples were taken to characterise tailings from within these areas of the tailings site. The pH of bare surface tailings (pH, 2.7) was significantly more acidic (p < 0.5) than in other areas. Additionally, negligible net neutralising potential resulted in the tailings being hostile to plant growth. Total metal concentrations in tailings were high (c. 10,000 mg kg^?1 for Pb and up to 20,000 mg kg^?1 for Zn). DTPA-extractable Zn and Pb were 16 and 11 % of the total amount, respectively. Metal content in grasses growing on some areas of the tailings were elevated and demonstrated the inability of the tailings to support sustainable plant growth. Due to the inherently hostile characteristics of these areas, future restoration work will employ capping with a barrier layer.     

The calculation of equivalence factor for ecological footprints in China: a methodological note

The Ecological Footprint (EF), a physical indicator to measure the extent of humanity’s use of natural resources, has gained much attention since it was first used by Wackernagel and Rees in 1996. In order to appraise land area types with different levels of productivity, they introduced the concept of an equivalence factor. This relates to the average primary biomass productivities of different types of land (i.e. arable land, pasture, forest, water/fishery, built-up land and fossil energy land) to the regional average primary biomass productivity of all land types in a given year. Hence, the equivalence factor is an important parameter in the EF model and it directly affects the reliability of all results. Thus, this article calculates equivalence factors on the national and provincial levels in China based on Net Primary Production (NPP) from MODIS 1 km data in 2008. Firstly, based on the Light Utility Efficiency and CASA model, the NPP of different biologically productive lands of China and of different provinces was calculated. Secondly, China’s equivalence factor for 6 land area types was calculated based on NPP: arable land and built-up land has an equivalence factor of 1.71, forest and fossil energy land has a factor of 1.41, pasture has a factor of 0.44 and water/fishery 0.35; Finally, the equivalence factor of 6 land area types in different provinces was also calculated. The NPP of each ecosystem type varies along with the equivalence factor in different provinces. However, the ranking of the equivalence factors in different provinces remain the same, with that of arable land being the largest, and the water/fishery being the smallest.     

A new comprehensive ecological risk index for risk assessment on Luanhe River,China

With the enhancement of human activities which influence the physical and chemical integrity of ecosystem, it was bound to increase ecological risk to the ecosystem, and the risk assessment of small scale, single pollutant, or only on water quality have been not satisfied the demand of sustainable development of basin water environment. Based on the response relationship between environmental flow requirements guarantee ratio (GEF) and river ecological risk index (ERI), the Sediment Quality Guideline Quotient index (SQG-Q), and the Biotic Index (BI), we construct a new comprehensive ecological risk index (CERI) to evaluate the ecological risk of Luanhe River, China. According to the response relationship between GEF and ERI, upper and lower reaches of Luanhe River (Goutaizi to Hanjiaying) were at moderate risk level (0.41 < ERI < 0.56) in dry season, and all sites were at low risk level (ERI < 0.40) in wet season; considering the contribution of heavy metals contamination in the SQG-Q, the Luanhe River was the most influenced by higher levels of heavy metals in dry season and wet season; when this index was applied to the PAHs levels, only 30 and 20% of the sampling sites appeared to be moderately impacted (0.1 < SQG-Q PAHs < 0.5) by the PAHs in dry season and wet season, respectively. The results of BI showed that half of the sites appeared to be at moderately polluted level (50% of the sites, 0.25 < BI < 0.32) and heavily polluted level (Zhangbaiwan, BI = 0.36) in dry season, and 40% of the sites appeared to be at moderately polluted level (0.26 < BI < 0.29) in wet season. The CERI showed that 70 and 30% of the sites were at moderate risk level in dry season (0.25 < CERI < 0.36) and wet season (0.26 < CERI < 0.29), respectively. The results could give insight into risk assessment of water environment and decision-making for water source security.

     

Afghanistan: Environmental degradation in a fragile ecological setting

SUMMARY

Currently, only 6% of the 15% of land in Afghanistan is usable and, if all the refugees were to return, problems of land ownership and adequacy of available land are inevitable. Natural forests have been severely degraded. Due to the nature of the topography and the arid climate, vast areas are subject to soil erosion. Loss of vegetation and soil humus have created ever more arid conditions. Abandoning the lands, poor reclamation schemes, overgrazing and destruction of vegetation for fuelwood have all caused desertifkation. The biological productivity of pastures has also deteriorated. This reduced productivity has affected livestock and has caused dramatic changes to the patterns of wildlife populations. Soil salinization and waterlogged lands are common. Farmland and pastures have been contaminated by landmines. Heavy concentrations of air-borne particulates and considerable amounts of transboundary pollutants from the Aral Sea have been found. Use of chemicals and the machinery of war have damaged the ecosystems.

Collection of plants and animals is unregulated and has resulted in excessive removal or extermination of some species endemic to the Hindu Kush. Uprooting of some plants and dynamite fishing are increasing and a disturbing number of fauna and flora are endangered. Agriculture is traditional, and natural resources are not being used in a sustainable way. A sound environmental strategy needs to be formulated and adopted.     

The apportionment of quadratic entropy: a useful alternative for partitioning diversity in ecological data

Many methods that study the diversity within hierarchically structured populations have been developed in genetics. Among them, the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) (Excoffier et al., 1992) has the advantage of including evolutionary distances between individuals. AMOVA is a special case of a far more general statistical scheme produced by Rao (1982a; 1986) and called the apportionment of quadratic entropy (APQE). It links diversity and dissimilarity and allows the decomposition of diversity according to a given hierarchy. We apply this framework to ecological data showing that APQE may be very useful for studying diversity at various spatial scales. Moreover, the quadratic entropy has a critical advantage over usual diversity indices because it takes into account differences between species. Finally, the differences that can be incorporated in APQE may be either taxonomic or functional (biological traits), which may be of critical interest for ecologists.     

Two-dimensional hybrid perovskite solar cells: a review

The production of electricity is important, suitable and secure for human living, yet electricity is actually generated mainly from fossil fuels and nuclear energy, calling for renewable energies such as solar, wind and tidal renewable energies such as solar, wind and tidal. Solar energy is broadly harvested by various types of solar cells. Three-dimensional perovskite solar cell exhibits high power conversion efficiency of 25.2% with low stability, whereas two-dimensional perovskite solar cell exhibits better stability with moderate power conversion efficiency. Hence, we review two-dimensional perovskite solar cells fabricated with varying numbers of hybrid two-dimensional perovskite layers, organic cations, deposition techniques, the addition of additives and capping layers to improve power conversion efficiency with long-term better stability.

     

Performance of bioferric-submerged membrane bioreactor for dyeing wastewater treatment

Adding iron salt or iron hydroxide to sludgemixed liquor in an aeration tank of a conventional activated sludge processes (bioferric process) can simultaneously improve the sludge’s filterability and enhance the system’s treatment capacity. In view of this, Fe(OH)₃ was added to a submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR) to enhance the removal efficiency and to mitigate membrane fouling. Bioferric process and SMBR were combined to create a novel process called Bioferric-SMBR. A side-by-side comparison study of Bioferric-SMBR and common SMBR dealing with dyeing wastewater was carried out. Bioferric-SMBR showed potential superiority, which could enhance removal efficiency, reduce membrane fouling and improve sludge characteristic. When volumetric loading rate was 25% higher than that of common SMBR, the removal efficiencies of Bioferric-SMBR on COD, dye, and NH₄ ⁺-N were 1.0%, 9.5%, and 5.2% higher than that of common SMBR, respectively. The trans-membrane pressure of Bioferric-SMBR was only 36% of that in common SMBR while its membrane flux was 25% higher than that of common SMBR. The stable running period in Bioferric-SMBR was 2.5 times of that in common SMBR when there was no surplus sludge discharged. The mixed liquor suspended solids concentration of Bioferric-SMBR was higher than that of common SMBR with more diversified kinds of microorganisms such as protozoans and metazoans. The mean particle diameter and specific oxygen uptake rate of Bioferric-SMBR were 3.10 and 1.23 times the common SMBR, respectively.     

Species distribution models and ecological theory: A critical assessment and some possible new approaches

Given the importance of knowledge of species distribution for conservation and climate change management, continuous and progressive evaluation of the statistical models predicting species distributions is necessary. Current models are evaluated in terms of ecological theory used, the data model accepted and the statistical methods applied. Focus is restricted to Generalised Linear Models (GLM) and Generalised Additive Models (GAM). Certain currently unused regression methods are reviewed for their possible application to species modelling.A review of recent papers suggests that ecological theory is rarely explicitly considered. Current theory and results support species responses to environmental variables to be unimodal and often skewed though process-based theory is often lacking. Many studies fail to test for unimodal or skewed responses and straight-line relationships are often fitted without justification.Data resolution (size of sampling unit) determines the nature of the environmental niche models that can be fitted. A synthesis of differing ecophysiological ideas and the use of biophysical processes models could improve the selection of predictor variables. A better conceptual framework is needed for selecting variables.Comparison of statistical methods is difficult. Predictive success is insufficient and a test of ecological realism is also needed. Evaluation of methods needs artificial data, as there is no knowledge about the true relationships between variables for field data. However, use of artificial data is limited by lack of comprehensive theory.Three potentially new methods are reviewed. Quantile regression (QR) has potential and a strong theoretical justification in Liebig's law of the minimum. Structural equation modelling (SEM) has an appealing conceptual framework for testing causality but has problems with curvilinear relationships. Geographically weighted regression (GWR) intended to examine spatial non-stationarity of ecological processes requires further evaluation before being used.Synthesis and applications: explicit theory needs to be incorporated into species response models used in conservation. For example, testing for unimodal skewed responses should be a routine procedure. Clear statements of the ecological theory used, the nature of the data model and sufficient details of the statistical method are needed for current models to be evaluated. New statistical methods need to be evaluated for compatibility with ecological theory before use in applied ecology. Some recent work with artificial data suggests the combination of ecological knowledge and statistical skill is more important than the precise statistical method used. The potential exists for a synthesis of current species modelling approaches based on their differing ecological insights not their methodology.     

Integrated ecological models: simulation of socio-cultural constraints on ecological dynamics

We suggest that general systems theory provides a common philosophical basis for dialog between ecological and social scientists interested in studying the reciprocal interactions of humans and their environment. We (1) provide a synopsis of the ‘systems approach' as viewed from the biological and social sciences, respectively; (2) develop a conceptual framework for the explicit linking of ecological and social variables, and (3) draw upon game theoretic results of the Prisoner's Dilemma to represent human decision-making quantitatively in a model that simulates the tragedy of the commons. The model consists of 5 submodels that represent the ‘observers world' and each of 4 ‘participant's worlds.' The observer's-world represents the decision processes, either Optimize or Tit-for-Tat, by which each of 2 users decides to add or remove animals. The 4 perceived worlds represent hypothetical situations in which (1) persons A and B both add an animal; (2) A adds and B does not; (3) B adds and A does not, and (4) neither A nor B add an animal. Simulation results indicate that net worth of the community and of each person individually under Tit-for-Tat is more than double the net worth attained under Optimize. Replacement of the static payoff matrix assumed in game theory with a dynamic quantitative model illustrates how ‘norm-based' approaches to ecosystem management can outperform optimizing approaches based on predicted outcomes. Although ‘soft systems' techniques may better help decision-makers reach norm-based agreements on ecosystem management, quantitative models have more explanatory value, and if developed sufficiently such models could incorporate complex social dimensions that would enhance further their explanatory value.     

Ecological accounting: new tools for a sustainable culture

Ecological accounting is concerned with providing information to assist managers with performance appraisal, control, decision-making and reporting for an organisation or region. It is based on ecological concepts and on ecological measures and values in addition to the familiar economics ones. The implementation of sustainable development requires a cultural change and ecological accounting would represent a part of this change within both organisations and wider society. In many ways, ecological accounting could help bring sustainable development into common sense and give it a place as a day-to-day business goal.     

Evaluation of metabisulfite and a commercial steel wool for removing chromium(VI) from wastewater

Efficiency of metabisulfite and a commercial steel wool as reducing agents in the removal of Cr(VI) from wastewaters was evaluated. Chromium(VI) was converted to Cr(III), precipitated with NaOH, and removed by filtration. A reduction of more than 1.0 × 10⁵ and 4.0 × 10⁵ fold in total Cr and the Cr(VI) concentrations, respectively, was observed by employing steel wool masses as low as 0.4420 g to 30-mL solutions of wastewater. Chromium(III) hydroxide obtained after the treatment was recycled and used as marker in cattle nutrition studies. The liquid residue obtained after the treatment was reused as precipitation agent replacing NaOH.     

Exergetic assessment for ecological economic system: Chinese agriculture

Based on the thermodynamic concept of exergy as a unified measure for environmental resources and economic products, a framework for systems assessment is presented for ecological economies. With a typical systems diagram devised for a general ecological economy with four arm fluxes for free local natural resources, purchased economic investment, environmental impact and economic yield, system indices of the renewability index, exergy yield ratio, exergy investment ratio, environmental resource to yield ratio, system transformity and environmental stress index are defined for a congregated systems ecological assessment with essential implications to sustainability. As a detailed case study to the Chinese agriculture from 1980 to 2000 with cropping, forestry, stockbreeding and fishery sectors, extensive exergy account and systems assessment are carried out with emphasis on annual and structural variations against social political transitions. For the overall agriculture as a congregated ecological stage, the value of the system transformity is found around 10, the typical value for the general ecological hierarchy as well devised by Odum associated with Lindeman's Tenth Law.     

Evaluation of ecological security for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-5 countries: new evidence from the RALS unit root test

Environmental and Ecological Statistics - The present study seeks to determine the convergence of the ecological footprint pressure index for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN-5)...     

Cosmic exergy based ecological assessment for a wetland in Beijing

Wetlands research and restoration has become one of the critical concern due to their importance in providing ecosystem services. This study proposes a holistic methodology to assess the wetland ecosystem based on cosmic exergy as a thermodynamic orientor. This new approach is applied to two typical wastewater treatment facilities (an activated sludge system and a cyclic activated sludge system) and to a constructed wetland ecosystem in Beijing for comparison. Results show that the Beijing wetland ecosystem gains positive net present ecological value of 3.08E+14 J_c regarding its total life cycle. Comparison with the activated sludge system and cyclic activated sludge system, shows that the wetland ecosystem has greater dependencies on local resources (22% vs. 0% vs. 0%) and renewable resources (67% vs. 38% vs. 31%) as well as a larger ecological sustainability index (0.64157 vs. 0.00005 vs. 0.00008). This implies that the wetland ecosystem is more environmentally friendly and sustainable method for water treatment.     

Special Issue: Statistical mathematics for ecological and environmental data

Environmental and Ecological Statistics -     

关于生态省建设的理论探讨

对生态省的概念、建设目标、建设生态省相关的生态学原理、生态省建设中如何处理人与自然的关系、生态省评价标准和指标体系等有关的理论问题进行了探讨。     

Results of dyeing male yellow-headed blackbirds solid black: implications for the arbitrary identity badge hypothesis

Summary Territorial male yellow-headed blackbirds that were dyed solid black were similar to controls in their ability to attract mates. They also had no difficulty in defending their territories from floating males. The only remarkable effect of this dramatic color manipulation was that five of the 12 blackened males that regained a territory after being dyed also later took over the better quality territory of another male. Not one of the 11 control males that regained a territory succeeded in such an eviction. This surprising result is interpretable under the theory that conspicuous and distinctive coloration sometimes evolves as an arbitrary recognition badge by making good fighters more memorable to their opponents. With insight gained from these results, we modify and considerably expand the theoretical treatment of this Arbitrary Identity Badge Hypothesis. We also explain why our results for yellow-headed blackbrids should differ so dramatically from those for red-winged blackbirds where blackened males often lost their territories to floating males.     

Assessment of regional ecological security based on ecological footprint and influential factors analysis: a case study of Chongqing Municipality,China

In recent years, it has been important to objectively evaluate the degree of regional ecological security with regard to resource depletion and to analyse influential factors to assess sustainable development. This paper tries to assess ecological security in Chongqing while investigating the main influencing factors. Calculations of the consumption footprint, production footprint and ecological capacity for Chongqing from 1996 to 2007 based on an ecological footprint approach were carried out. An ecological security index was also calculated from these results and factors influencing security were analysed using factor analysis. Both the consumption and production footprints present an upward trend, contrary to the gradually decreasing trend of ecological capacity. In addition, the ecological security index shows that Chongqing has deteriorated from a level of less risk to that of risk. Factor analysis suggests that the deterioration of ecological security could primarily be ascribed to socio-economic factors and industrialisation. With socio-economic development and industrialisation, appropriate measures must be taken to improve the ecosystem in Chongqing so as to achieve sustainable development. The limitations of the methodology are also discussed and areas that require further research are presented.