Combined Effects of Levels of Protection and Environmental Variables at Different Spatial Resolutions on Fish Assemblages in a Marine Protected Area

Abstract: The links between species–environment relations and species’ responses to protection are unclear, but the objectives of marine protected areas (MPAs) are most likely to be achieved when those relations are known and inform MPA design. The components of a species’ habitat vary with the spatial resolution of the area considered. We characterized areas at two resolutions: 250 m² (transect) and approximately 30,000 m² (seascape). We considered three categories of environmental variables: substrate type, bottom complexity, and depth. We sought to determine at which resolution habitat characteristics were a better predictor of abundance and species composition of fishes and whether the relations with environmental variables at either resolution affected species’ responses to protection. Habitat features accounted for a larger proportion of spatial variation in species composition and abundances than differences in protection status. This spatial variation was explained best by habitat characteristics at the seascape level than at the transect level. Species’ responses to protected areas were specific to particular seascape characteristics, primarily depth, and bottom complexity. Our method may be useful for prioritizing marine areas for protection, designing MPAs, and monitoring their effectiveness. It identified areas that provided natural shelter, areas acting as buffer zones, and areas where fish species were most responsive to protection. The identification of such areas is necessary for cost‐effective establishment and monitoring of MPAs.     

Understanding Interaction Effects of Climate Change and Fire Management on Bird Distributions through Combined Process and Habitat Models

Abstract: Avian conservation efforts must account for changes in vegetation composition and structure associated with climate change. We modeled vegetation change and the probability of occurrence of birds to project changes in winter bird distributions associated with climate change and fire management in the northern Chihuahuan Desert (southwestern U.S.A.). We simulated vegetation change in a process‐based model (Landscape and Fire Simulator) in which anticipated climate change was associated with doubling of current atmospheric carbon dioxide over the next 50 years. We estimated the relative probability of bird occurrence on the basis of statistical models derived from field observations of birds and data on vegetation type, topography, and roads. We selected 3 focal species, Scaled Quail (Callipepla squamata), Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus), and Rock Wren (Salpinctes obsoletus), that had a range of probabilities of occurrence for our study area. Our simulations projected increases in relative probability of bird occurrence in shrubland and decreases in grassland and Yucca spp. and ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens) vegetation. Generally, the relative probability of occurrence of all 3 species was highest in shrubland because leaf‐area index values were lower in shrubland. This high probability of occurrence likely is related to the species’ use of open vegetation for foraging. Fire suppression had little effect on projected vegetation composition because as climate changed there was less fuel and burned area. Our results show that if future water limits on plant type are considered, models that incorporate spatial data may suggest how and where different species of birds may respond to vegetation changes.     

Effectiveness of Scat‐Detection Dogs in Determining Species Presence in a Tropical Savanna Landscape

Abstract: Most protected areas are too small to sustain populations of wide‐ranging mammals; thus, identification and conservation of high‐quality habitat for those animals outside parks is often a high priority, particularly for regions where extensive land conversion is occurring. This is the case in the vicinity of Emas National Park, a small protected area in the Brazilian Cerrado. Over the last 40 years the native vegetation surrounding the park has been converted to agriculture, but the region still supports virtually all of the animals native to the area. We determined the effectiveness of scat‐detection dogs in detecting presence of five species of mammals threatened with extinction by habitat loss: maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), puma (Puma concolor), jaguar (Panthera onca), giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), and giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus). The probability of scat detection varied among the five species and among survey quadrats of different size, but was consistent across team, season, and year. The probability of occurrence, determined from the presence of scat, in a randomly selected site within the study area ranged from 0.14 for jaguars, which occur primarily in the forested areas of the park, to 0.91 for maned wolves, the most widely distributed species in our study area. Most occurrences of giant armadillos in the park were in open grasslands, but in the agricultural matrix they tended to occur in riparian woodlands. At least one target species occurred in every survey quadrat, and giant armadillos, jaguars, and maned wolves were more likely to be present in quadrats located inside than outside the park. The effort required for detection of scats was highest for the two felids. We were able to detect the presence for each of five wide‐ranging species inside and outside the park and to assign occurrence probabilities to specific survey sites. Thus, scat dogs provide an effective survey tool for rare species even when accurate detection likelihoods are required. We believe the way we used scat‐detection dogs to determine the presence of species can be applied to the detection of other mammalian species in other ecosystems.     

Using geographically temporally weighted regression to assess the contribution of corruption governance to global PM2.5

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In the face of the global haze crisis, exploring the driving force of political factors for controlling minute atmospheric particles has become...     

Knowledge spillovers and subsequent innovation in green energy: the role of public R&D

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

Groundwater geochemical signatures and implication for sustainable development in a typical endorheic watershed on Tibetan plateau

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Groundwater resource is significantly important for sustainable development of the world, especially for arid endorheic watersheds. A total of 28...     

长江口-浙闽沿岸沉积色素的分布特征及其指示意义

利用高效液相色谱法分析了长江口-浙闽沿岸表层沉积物中的色素组成和含量,探讨了海洋初级生产力、浮游植物功能类群和浮游植物色素保存效率的空间分布特征及其影响因素.结果表明,沉积物中的色素类型主要为沉积绿素(chloropigments,Chlorins)[包括叶绿素a(chlorophyll-a,Chl-a)及其降解产物(pheopigments,Pheo-a),如脱镁叶绿素a(pheophytin-a,PHtin-a)、脱镁叶绿酸a(pheophorbide-a,PHide-a)、焦脱镁叶绿素a(p Pheophytin-a,p PHtin-a)、甾醇绿素酯(sterol chlorin esters,SCEs)和胡萝卜醇绿素酯(carotenol chlorin esters,CCEs)].Chlorins高值区呈南北两大斑块状分布,可能主要是受到长江冲淡水及浙闽沿岸泥质区上升流输运的营养盐的影响.研究区域内类胡萝卜素整体上无明显趋势性变化,在长江口以及浙闽沿岸各呈现一个高值区.基于沉积物中特征类胡萝卜素比例估算得到的浮游植物功能类群中硅藻、甲藻、定鞭藻、青绿藻、隐藻和蓝藻的相对贡献分别为48.8%±17.4%、10.7%±11.5%、8.1%±7.2%、18.6%±8.2%、9.4%±6.4%和4.3%±3.2%.对营养盐水平、水体盐度等外界环境的偏好导致硅藻和甲藻比例离岸降低,青绿藻、隐藻和蓝藻比例离岸增加.Chl-a/Pheo-a比值的分布表明,较高的沉积速率以及季节性的底层水体缺氧事件导致了近岸海域(长江口最大浑浊带外缘、杭州湾湾口以及浙闽沿岸上升流区)具有较高的沉积色素保存效率,这些沉积色素保存效率较高的区域可能是进行海洋生态环境历史重建的理想区域,而杭州湾水体通过舟山群岛与外部海水进行水体交换时造成的较差沉积环境可能是导致杭州湾外海具有较低沉积色素含量和较低保存效率的主要原因.     

采用颜色空间表征ANAMMOX启动与冲击过程

厌氧氨氧化(ANAMMOX)是一种高效、节能的脱氮技术,但是其启动过程和稳定状态的表征目前仍缺乏一个简单易行的方法.针对这一问题,在水质分析的基础上,采用颜色空间重点监测ANAMMOX启动过程中污泥的颜色变化,并借助高通量测序技术对微生物菌群的种类和数量等进行分析.结果表明:(1)根据水质特征,整个启动过程可分为活性迟滞期、活性增强期、负荷提高期、稳定运行期.与此同时,HSV、CIELAB颜色空间的指标,整体上呈现先降低后升高的趋势,然后保持稳定.污泥颜色的变化与水质的变化以及分子生物学特征中优势菌群的变迁一致,因此,三者之间具有相关性,进而表明,采用颜色空间可对ANAMMOX启动过程进行准确表征;(2)当遇到高负荷引起的冲击时,H、S、a~*、b~*、C_(ab)~*等指标与总无机氮(TIN)容积去除速率均呈现降低的趋势,而H_(ab)出现了突升,但均能准确反映出系统的冲击特性.提出了基于颜色空间表征ANAMMOX启动各阶段的方法并建立了一套冲击过程指标体系,为颜色空间在ANAMMOX系统中的应用提供了理论基础.     

Assessment of the clear-sky bias issue using continuous PM10 data from two AERONET sites in Korea

A bias in clear-sky conditions that will be involved in estimating particulate matter(PM)concentration from aerosol optical depth(AOD) was examined using PM_(10) from two Aerosol Robotic Network sites in Korea. The study periods were between 2004 and 2007 at Anmyon and between 2003 and 2011 at Gosan, when both PM_(10) and AOD were available. Mean PM_(10) when AOD was available(PM AOD) was higher than that from all PM_(10)data(PM all) by 5.1 and9.9 μg/m~3 at Anmyon and Gosan, which accounted for 11% and 26% of PM all, respectively.Because of a difference between mean PM_(10) under daytime clear-sky conditions(PM clear)and PM AOD, the variations in ΔPM_(10), the difference of PM all from PM clear rather than from PM AOD, were investigated. Although monthly variations in ΔPM_(10)at the two sites were different, they were positively correlated to those in ΔT, similarly defined as ΔPM_(10)except for temperature, at both sites. ΔPM_(10)at Anmyon decreased to a negative value in January due to an influence of the Siberian continental high-pressure system while ΔPM_(10)at Gosan was high in winter due to an effect of photochemical production at higher temperatures than at Anmyon.     

滇西北高原湖泊剑湖演变过程及其生态环境效应分析

以滇西北高原湖泊剑湖为研究区,1974—2015年间8期遥感影像为数据源,运用遥感和地理信息系统技术,研究剑湖湖泊近40年间的时空演变过程,探析剑湖湖泊的入湖污染物及其生态环境效应变化。结果表明:近40年来剑湖湖泊面积呈现先明显减少再增加后缓慢减少的变化规律,由1974年的504.47 hm~2减至2015年的451.72 hm~2;目前剑湖水体中COD含量较低,符合地表水环境质量Ⅱ类标准;TP含量满足Ⅲ类标准;TN含量仅可满足IV类标准;剑湖入湖的主要污染源是农村生活污染和农业面源污染;随着时间的演变剑湖湖泊TN、TP污染物浓度呈上升趋势,剑湖湖泊生态系统受到极大干扰。