基于蛙跳算法优化的生态环境质量评价的韦伯-费希纳指数公式

为了建立简便、实用的生态环境质量评价模型,在构建生态环境评价指标体系的基础上,设定各指标的参照值和规范变换式,使规范变换后的不同指标同级标准的规范值差异不大。进而提出了一个对多项指标的规范值都适用的生态环境质量评价的韦伯-费希纳(W-F)指数公式。采用混合蛙跳算法对公式的参数进行优化,得出优化后对多项指标皆适用的生态环境质量评价的W-F指数公式。运用该公式对巢湖流域的生态环境质量进行评价,其结果与该流域生态环境质量实际情况基本相符,表明模型有一定的实用性。     

基于指标规范变换的生态环境质量评价普适指数公式

为了建立科学合理、计算简便和实用性强的生态环境质量评价普适指数公式,在确定典型区域的生态环境评价指标体系及其分级标准的基础上,适当设定各项生态环境指标的参照值和指标值的(规范)变换式,使不同指标同级标准值的变换值差异较小,而变换值的对数值差异更小,从而可以认为用变换值表示的不同指标皆等效于某个指标。因此,用变换值表示的不同指标的某种类型的生态环境质量评价指数公式都可以用该等效指标的生态环境质量评价指数公式代替。在满足一定优化目标准则的条件下,用免疫进化粒子群混洗蛙跳算法对公式中的普适参数进行优化,分别得到优化后对23项生态环境指标皆适用的对数型幂函数、韦伯-费希纳定律、Γ型分布函数、污染危害S型函数和加权加和型幂函数5种形式的生态环质量评价普适指数公式,并对公式的可靠性进行了理论分析,对其实用效果进行了检验。     

GIS与层次分析法相结合的生态环境综合评价研究——以渝西地区为例

将GIS与层次分析法相结合应用于渝西地区生态环境质量综合评价。首先,根据渝西地区生态环境的基本特点确定生态环境质量综合评价的指标体系和基本评价单元,通过层次分析法,确定各评价指标的权重,计算出每个评价单元的生态环境质量综合指数和分指数;然后运用GIS技术,根据每个评价单元的质量指数和分指数,自动生成渝西地区生态环境综合评价等级图;在此基础上,对渝西地区生态环境整体及各不同侧面质量状况的空间分异规律进行分析和研究。结果显示,渝西区生态环境质量基本上由南向北逐渐降低,与自然环境状况的空间格局大体吻合,但局部地区有差异。表明自然条件对渝西地区生态环境质量的空间分异起决定性作用,但社会经济和环境污染等因素同样对生态环境具有重要影响,在某些情况下,甚至可以成为决定因素,并在一定程度上改变生态环境的空间格局。     

GIS与层次分析法相结合的生态环境综合评价研究——以渝西地区为例

将GIS与层次分析法相结合应用于渝西地区生态环境质量综合评价。首先,根据渝西地区生态环境的基本特点确定生态环境质量综合评价的指标体系和基本评价单元,通过层次分析法,确定各评价指标的权重,计算出每个评价单元的生态环境质量综合指数和分指数;然后运用GIS技术,根据每个评价单元的质量指数和分指数,自动生成渝西地区生态环境综合评价等级图;在此基础上,对渝西地区生态环境整体及各不同侧面质量状况的空间分异规律进行分析和研究。结果显示,渝西区生态环境质量基本上由南向北逐渐降低,与自然环境状况的空间格局大体吻合,但局部地区有差异。表明自然条件对渝西地区生态环境质量的空间分异起决定性作用,但社会经济和环境污染等因素同样对生态环境具有重要影响,在某些情况下,甚至可以成为决定因素,并在一定程度上改变生态环境的空间格局。     

新疆精河县生态变化评价及驱动力研究

以1994、2002和2016年3期的Landsat遥感影像为基础数据源,借助新型遥感生态指数(RSEI),通过综合绿度、湿度、干度和热度4个指数和主成分分析,对精河县生态环境质量进行监测和评价。结果表明,以绿度、湿度、热度和干度为基础建立的RSEI指数具有一定的适用性,可较好地对精河县生态环境质量状况及其时空变化进行监测和评价。1994、2002和2016年RSEI指数均值分别为0.377、0.323和0.327,对RSEI指数进行分级处理后,发现流域生态环境质量较差等级居于主导地位,优等级有所减少,区内生态环境状况向差的方向发展。精河县人工绿洲扩张显著,天然绿洲面积减少,气候变化和人类活动共同作用于精河县的生态环境,生态环境质量变差受人为干扰影响较大。人口压力、城市化进程、不合理放牧、土地资源不合理配置、水资源低效利用等人为因素,仍是未来精河县生态环境建设需要协调的重点。     

综合水质标识指数法在浑河水质评价中的应用

综合评价水环境质量,全面把握流域水环境污染特征是水环境污染防治中的重要基础性工作。水质标识指数可以完整标识水质评价指标的类别、水质数据、功能区目标值等重要信息,在单因子水质标识指数法基础上建立的综合水质标识指数法能完整表达河流总体的综合水质信息,既不会因个别水质指标较差就否定综合水质,又能对综合水质做出合理的评价;既可以在Ⅰ到Ⅴ类中比较水质的优劣,亦可以对劣Ⅴ类进行评价。为系统全面地研究浑河流域各不同河段水环境特征,将浑河流域划分为3个控制单元,根据2001—2010年间水质监测数据,采用综合水质标识指数法,识别出各控制单元主要污染因子,并阐明了浑河流域水环境质量时空变化规律,本研究即体现了全流域统筹考虑的系统思想,又体现了分区研究的针对性特点,并首次将综合水质标识指数法应用于浑河流域水质综合评价,其研究结论对水质监测数据的评价有一定的借鉴作用,亦对流域水污染防治对策的提出有一定的指导意义。     

土地整理的区域生态环境影响评价研究

开展土地整理是协调人地关系、实现耕地保护目标的重要途径之一。由于土地整理是对土地资源及其利用方式的再组织和再优化过程,是一项复杂的系统工程,其整理过程改变了地表生态系统,必然对生态环境造成影响。近年来,土地整理项目对所在区域产生的生态环境影响日益受到关注和重视。从生态学的角度来看,土地整理的实施必然产生相应的生态环境效应,对项目区及其背景区域的水资源、土壤、植被、大气、生物等环境要素及其生态过程产生诸多直接或间接、有利或有害的影响。综观当前的研究现状,对于这些影响尚缺乏定量化的评价标准、指标及方法。针对该领域的研究现状及应用需要,该文以生态学理论为基础,在特定的时空范围内,从生态系统层次上建立起由生物丰度指数、植被覆盖指数、水网密度指数、土地侵蚀指数、土地适宜性指数组成的评价指标体系,确定了各项评价指标的详细内容及计算方法,在此基础上采用指数和法构建了生态环境状况指数（EI）模型,并制定了相应的评价标准。通过计算土地整理项目实施前后的EI进行比较分析,为定量化评价土地整理项目的区域生态环境影响提供了依据。该文结合山东宁阳县的土地整理实践进行了评价应用和检验,取得了较为理想的结果。该研究为土地整理区域生态环境影响的定量化评价进行了有益的探索。     

黄河水量统一调度实施前后河口三角洲生态环境变化研究

全流域水量统一调度是缓解黄河断流,维护流域生态环境的重要举措。水量调度效果如何,河口生态环境变化状况是非常重要的衡量指标。文章提出了评价水量调度效果的河口生态环境对比指标,并尝试运用遥感技术、水文数据和调查资料,对比分析了水量调度前后河口三角洲生态环境变化情况。结果表明,黄河水量统一调度后,河口三角洲最小河道生态基流在非汛期基本得到满足,断流现象不再发生,径流入海率和输沙入海量有所增加,淡水湿地面积逐渐增多,物种多样性明显得到改善。这反映出黄河流域水量统一调度后,河口三角洲生态环境正逐步恢复。     

农业生态环境评价的探讨

本文拟以生态指数来评价农村生态环境。同时提出时间生态指数和地区生态指数的概念和计算方法。针对我国农村的主要生态问题,提出15个评价指标及其标准和权重,并以范例作了讨论。     

浅水富营养化湖泊巢湖近百年重金属污染的沉积物记录

浅水富营养化湖泊巢湖近百年重金属污染的沉积物记录湖泊沉积物中重金属的富集主要与流域的人类活动密切相关,其剖面分布反映了流域人类活动与自然环境相互作用的过程,是评价湖泊环境现状及演变趋势、识别流域主要环境问题的一个重要标志.中国湖泊历史监测数据稀缺,利用高分辨率沉     

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     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Sequestration of cucurbitacin analogs by New and Old World chrysomelid leaf beetles in the tribe Luperini

Summary Two South American polyphagous leaf beetles,Diabrotica speciosa andCerotoma arcuata, selectively accumulated the bitter tasting compound 23,24-dihydrocucurbitacin D in their body after ingesting root tissues of cucurbit plants. Similarly, three Asian Cucurbitaceae-feeding specialists in the genusAulacophora were found to sequester the same compound. Cucurbitacin analogs were shown to deter feeding by a bird predator, indicating an allomonal role for these compounds in cucurbitacin-associated chrysomelid leaf beetles both of New and Old Worlds. The strong affinity to cucurbitacins, selective sequestration of the analogs and consequent protection from predators suggested an ecological adaptation mechanism developed in common among these two geographically isolated subtribes in the Luperini.