北方高纬度地区生态系统动态、生物多样性管理及社会政策

由于受到众多因素大规模作用的影响,高纬度地区生态系统的变化异常活跃.这些地区的生态系统非常脆弱,各种全球变化过程都在影响着可更新林木资源持续生产和当地社会赖以生存的动植物资源丰度.本文对于北半球高纬度地区生态系统的一些新认识及其(所包含的)意义进行了讨论,并对提高生态系统的恢复力所采取的必要管理措施进行了探讨.认为在生态系统面临各种变化和干扰时系统管理的焦点应该从系统的恢复转移到系统功能的维系上来.生物多样性的作用是确保生态系统在经历干扰和重组时能够进行重组和发展,这一作用应该在系统管理与相关的方针政策中得到重视.强调应重新考虑现在的生态保护区的概念以发展一些动态的管理方法,使生态系统在面临环境变化时能够进行可持续的管理.而高纬度地区一些土著人习惯性的生态保护区的特点与那些对保护区进行动态保护的观点往往是一致的.针对高纬度地区动态景观中的生物多样性管理我们提出了新的发展方向,并从非传统的观点方面为其提供了经验例证.这些非传统的观点与看法可能会有助于提高生物多样性可持续管理和生态系统功能发挥的潜力.     

将高纬度地区生态系统的反馈与恢复力引入公司决策

本文讨论了在高纬度地区公司所起的作用,它被概念化为以社会和经济为媒介的生态系统,同时指出了商业环境里其他的一些重要的社会参与者.我们列举了高纬地区企业行为的三个案例并对其中各种共性进行了讨论.特别的,我们认为有必要对商业理论和实践进行革新,以使其不只是停留在社会与经济概念的组织恢复力上,而要把高纬地区的生态恢复力也包括到商业管理的目标之中.同时我们也认为区域生态系统的恢复力应该成为衡量企业可持续管理的一个有意义的指标,企业高层可以据此制定和修改企业的管理策略.最后,文章在结尾处呼吁对高纬地区内的跨国公司和国内公司的作用制定更为详细的研究议程.     

The 48,XXYY syndrome: A case detected by maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein screening

A 17-year-old woman was referred for amniocentesis due to a low maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) concentration in a voluntary screening test. The fetal karyotype was 48,XXYY, and the pregnancy was terminated. Autopsy of the fetus disclosed agenesis of the corpus callosum and unusual facial features.     

Differences in the growth response of three bryophyte species to nitrogen

The effect of nitrogen on biomass production, shoot elongation and relative density of the mosses Pleurozium schreberi, Hylocomium splendens and Dicranum polysetum was studied in a chamber experiment. Monocultures were exposed to 10 N levels ranging from 0.02 to 7.35 g N m⁻² during a 90-day period. All the growth responses were unimodal, but the species showed differences in the shape parameters of the curves. Hylocomium and Pleurozium achieved optimum biomass production at a lower N level than Dicranum. Pleurozium had the highest biomass production per tissue N concentration. Tolerance to N was the widest in Dicranum, whereas Hylocomium had the narrowest tolerance. Dicranum retained N less efficiently from precipitation than the other two species, which explained its deviating response. All species translocated some N from parent to new shoots. The results emphasize that the individual responses of bryophytes to N should be known when species are used as bioindicators.     

The importance of age-related decline in forest NPP for modeling regional carbon balances.

We show the implications of the commonly observed age-related decline in aboveground productivity of forests, and hence forest age structure, on the carbon dynamics of European forests in response to historical changes in environmental conditions. Size-dependent carbon allocation in trees to counteract increasing hydraulic resistance with tree height has been hypothesized to be responsible for this decline. Incorporated into a global terrestrial biosphere model (the Lund-Potsdam-Jena model, LPJ), this hypothesis improves the simulated increase in biomass with stand age. Application of the advanced model, including a generic representation of forest management in even-aged stands, for 77 European provinces shows that model-based estimates of biomass development with age compare favorably with inventory-based estimates for different tree species. Model estimates of biomass densities on province and country levels, and trends in growth increment along an annual mean temperature gradient are in broad agreement with inventory data. However, the level of agreement between modeled and inventory-based estimates varies markedly between countries and provinces. The model is able to reproduce the present-day age structure of forests and the ratio of biomass removals to increment on a European scale based on observed changes in climate, atmospheric CO2 concentration, forest area, and wood demand between 1948 and 2000. Vegetation in European forests is modeled to sequester carbon at a rate of 100 Tg C/yr, which corresponds well to forest inventory-based estimates.     

Changes in the heavy metal and nutrient contents of dried feather mosses during long-term storage

This study measured heavy metal and nutrient concentrations of two feather mosses during the periods of dry storage. Samples (Hylocomium splendens, Pleurozium schreberi) were collected in the nationwide moss surveys carried out on the permanent sample plots of the 8th Finnish National Forest Inventory in 1985–86, 1990, 1995 and 2000. A small amount of each moss sample was analyzed soon after collection, and the remainder was dried and stored at the Paljakka environmental specimen bank (ESB). The 108 stored samples from 27 plots were reanalyzed in 2008. Concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Zn) and nutrients (Ca, K, Mg, P) were determined and compared for each survey year. Overall, Fe, Pb and Cr concentrations decreased, and Cu concentrations increased significantly during storage. The greatest decrease was observed in samples from plots where their initial concentrations were the highest. Changes in the concentrations of Cd, Ni and Zn were less pronounced. The loss of heavy metals is likely due to drying when cell membranes rupture and some of the surface material is lost. K, P and, to some extent, Mg concentrations increased during storage, whereas Ca did not change significantly. Nutrient increase is probably due to their movement from older to younger growths during the initial phase of drying. Ca is mostly bound to cell walls and is not easily released. Results emphasize the importance of establishing the intended use of a stored moss prior to sampling, in order to select and optimize an appropriate storage technique.     

Are national biodiversity strategies and action plans appropriate for building responsibilities for mainstreaming biodiversity across policy sectors? The case of Finland

The Convention on Biological Diversity's national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) are major mechanisms for mainstreaming biodiversity into national policies. This article examines whether and how the NBSAPs contribute to mainstreaming biodiversity across policy sectors in Finland in order to halt biodiversity loss. We have developed an innovative analytical framework where the concept of responsibility addresses how motivations for mainstreaming can be built, and the concept of social learning outcomes addresses the extent of institutional changes for biodiversity. The Finnish NBSAP processes have been able to build diverse forms of responsibility (liability, accountability, responsiveness and care) in different policy sectors by providing new knowledge, careful process design and developing institutional linkages. Despite pro-biodiversity outcomes in the targeted policy sectors, the responsibilities do not diffuse from the environmental administration to other policy sectors to a sufficient extent. Closing this ‘responsibility gap’ is a key challenge for building effective environmental policies.     

Relationships of the dimensions of sustainability as measured by the sustainable society index framework

This article presents a study of the interrelationships between the different dimensions of sustainability as measured by the sustainable society index framework. We examine the statistical relationships between the four indices making up the sustainable society index framework. The analysis uses the complete existing data set provided by Sustainable Society Foundation for the years 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012 and for 151 countries. While the time period where data are available is quite short, we can make some preliminary observations about the apparent trends in the interrelationships of the different dimensions of sustainability. This study shows that the three dimensions of sustainability are far from all being synergic and positively correlated. There is a strong negative correlation between human well-being and environmental well-being. This is problematic from the point of view of the Brundtland Commission’s three-pillar definition of sustainability. However, the trade-off relationship between economic and environmental development measured by the economic well-being index and environmental well-being index is decreasing and the dimensions are becoming more de-linked. This trend is promising from the sustainability perspective.     

Effects of Clear-Cut Harvesting on Boreal Ground-Beetle Assemblages (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in Western Canada

We compared pitfall catches from four types of mature lodgepole pine—white spruce forest with those from five age classes of young forest regenerating subsequent to clear-cutting. Ground beetles were most abundant in the youngest sites (1–2 years since cutting) and in the mature stands on moist soil. Species richness was higher in regenerating sites than in mature forest. Cluster analysis grouped the ground-beetle fauna according to forest age and forest type, suggesting that there is a general pattern of recovery after logging. Responses of common species to forest cutting fell into three groups: (1) forest generalists (2 species) were not dramatically affected, (2) species of open habitat (27 species) appeared and/or increased in abundance, and (3) mature forest species (10 species) disappeared or decreased in abundance. Populations of many mature forest species appear to recover following logging, but several specialists did not recolonize even the oldest regenerating stands. Furthermore, fragmentation and creation of large areas of relatively homogeneous young forest stages through logging may have detrimental long-term effects even on the more abundant forest generalists. We must better understand subtle variations in habitat in order to maintain invertebrate diversity while harvesting the boreal forest.