Effects of Cattle Grazing on Diversity in Ephemeral Wetlands

Abstract:  Cattle are usually thought of as a threat to biodiversity. In regions threatened by exotic species invasion and lacking native wild grazers, however, cattle may produce the type of disturbance that helps maintain diverse communities. Across 72 vernal pools, I examined the effect of different grazing treatments (ungrazed, continuously grazed, wet-season grazed and dry-season grazed) on vernal-pool plant and aquatic faunal diversity in the Central Valley of California. After 3 years of treatment, ungrazed pools had 88% higher cover of exotic annual grasses and 47% lower relative cover of native species than pools grazed at historical levels (continuously grazed). Species richness of native plants declined by 25% and aquatic invertebrate richness was 28% lower in the ungrazed compared with the continuously grazed treatments. Release from grazing reduced pool inundation period by 50 to 80%, making it difficult for some vernal-pool endemic species to complete their life cycle. My results show that one should not assume livestock and ranching operations are necessarily damaging to native communities. In my central California study site, grazing helped maintain native plant and aquatic diversity in vernal pools.     

Detecting Rare Species with Random or Subjective Sampling: a Case Study of Red-Listed Saproxylic Beetles in Boreal Sweden

Abstract:  Efficient sampling design in field studies is important for economical and statistical reasons. We compared two ways to distribute sampling effort over an area, either randomly or subjectively. We searched for red-listed saproxylic (wood-living) beetles in 30 spruce stands in boreal Sweden by sifting wood from dead trees. We randomly selected positions within each stand with a geographic positioning system and sampled the nearest dead tree (random sample). In the same stand we also sampled dead trees that, based on literature, were likely to host such species (subjective sampling). The subjective sampling (two to five samples per stand, depending on stand size) was compared with the higher, random sampling effort (fixed level of 12 samples/stand). Subjective sampling was significantly more efficient. Red-listed species were found in 36% of the subjective samples and in 16% of the random samples. Nevertheless, the larger random effort resulted in a comparable number of red-listed species per stand and in 13 detected species in total (vs. 12 species with subjective sampling). Random sampling was less efficient, but provided an unbiased alternative more suitable for statistical purposes, as needed in, for example, monitoring programs. Moreover, new species-specific knowledge can be gained through random searches.     

Potential Ecological Distribution of Alien Invasive Species and Risk Assessment: a Case Study of Buffel Grass in Arid Regions of Mexico

Abstract:  Alien invasive species represent a severe risk to biodiversity. Such is the case of buffel grass ( Cenchrus ciliaris L.), a native species of Southern Asia and East Africa, which was introduced to the United States and Mexico for use in improved pasture. Here we present a coarse-grain approach to determine areas where buffel grass can potentially invade in Mexico. Potential species distributions, suitable for an invasion by buffel grass, were obtained through genetic algorithms. We generated the algorithms with databases of herbaria specimens; environmental digital covers of climate, soil texture, and vegetation; and the program called Genetic Algorithm for Rule-Set Prediction. This spatial modeling approach was validated with a case study for the state of Sonora, Mexico, where the occurrence of buffel grass has been proven. The most threatened vegetation types for the specific case of Sonora were desert scrub, mesquite woodlands, and tropical deciduous forest. The model prediction agreed with the field observations recorded in Sonora and allowed us to apply the same procedure to produce a map of the potential sites of buffel grass invasion for Mexico. The areas at risk of invasion mostly occurred in desert scrub, located in the arid and semiarid regions of northern Mexico. This methodology provides an initial baseline for assessment, prevention, and management of alien species that may become invasive under certain environmental conditions. Additionally this modeling approach provides a tool for policy makers to use in making decisions on land-use management practices when alien species are involved.     

Participatory Approach for Rapid Assessment of Plant Diversity through a Folk Classification System in a Tropical Rainforest: Case Study in Xishuangbanna, China

Abstract:  Rural indigenous people are often very knowledgeable about plant and animal species, including their identification and ecology. The use of indigenous knowledge has increasingly attracted attention in scientific circles. The Dai people, a dominant nationality in southwestern Yunnan, China, have developed their own traditional plant classification system. In a case study in Xishuangbanna, we compared the differences in number of plant species identified between scientific and Dai folk classification. The Dai people identified more than 80% of the plant species, and the correspondence between folk and scientific plant species was 87.7%. Our results indicate that folk plant classification could be used in rapid assessment of plant species in certain regions. The use of folk systems of plant classification for rapid biodiversity assessment will contribute to conservation of both indigenous knowledge and regional biodiversity.     

我国海水水质基准的构建:以三丁基锡为例

我国近岸海域污染形势严峻、污染物种类繁多、生态健康风险复杂,现有的海水水质标准难以满足当前海洋环境污染评价、管理和监控的需求,亟需适宜我国海洋区系特征的海水水质基准作为水质标准修订与制定的理论依据.借鉴美国、欧盟和荷兰等国家水质基准的制定方法,提出了构建我国海水水质基准的思路,并给出了数值型双值基准的数据要求、定值方法和相应的计算模式等.以三丁基锡化合物(TBT)为例,按照论文建立的方法,计算了保护我国海洋水生生物的TBT基准.结果表明:我国TBT化合物海水水质基准高值(HSWC)和海水水质基准低值(LSWC)分别为0.43μg·L-1和0.002μg·L-1,与美国,加拿大和英国等国家的推荐基准值略有不同.研究结果将为我国海水水质基准的制定与研究提供帮助.     

基于土地转移矩阵的生态服务功能研究——以南京市仙林新市区为例

以南京市仙林新市区为例,运用土地转移矩阵方法分析土地利用变化,并采用专家打分法和层次分析法对生态服务功能进行分类评价,对其结果进行空间化表达,分析土地利用变化对生态服务功能的影响。结果表明:(1)2003—2013年仙林新市区耕地和水体面积大量减少,而建设用地、密集型草地和裸地面积大量增加。土地利用类型变化主要体现在耕地、水体向建设用地、密集型草地和裸地的转移。(2)区域生态服务功能整体降低,但生态服务功能改变程度具有空间异质性,西北部和中部的大部分区域生态服务功能降低程度高,而东南部小部分区域降低程度低。(3)耕地、有林地和水体向建设用地的转移是造成生态服务功能降低的主要原因,其作用程度达到70%以上。     

基于土地利用的喀斯特地区生态系统服务功能价值评估——以贵州省为例

为探讨喀斯特地区生态系统服务功能价值特征,对贵州省生态系统服务功能价值进行评估,结果表明生态系统服务功能价值在2005、2010、2020年分别为1 610.43亿、2 357.86亿、4 328.89亿元.贵州省各类生态系统服务功能单价顺序为湿地>水体>森林>草地>农田>荒漠,其中湿地生态系统是荒漠生态系统服务功能价值的149.31倍.2005～2020年贵州省生态服务功能价值结构和土地利用结构以森林生态系统占绝对优势,各类型生态系统服务功能价值顺序为森林>农田>草地>水体>荒漠>湿地,各类型生态系统面积大小顺序为森林>农田>荒漠>草地>水体>湿地.2005、2010、2020年贵州省单位面积生态系统服务功能价值分别为9 142、13 385、24 573元/hm2.根据至2020年的土地利用规划,贵州省生态系统服务功能将持续增加.