Progress in the ecology and conservation of giant pandas

Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) conservation is a possible success story in the making. If extinction of this iconic endangered species can be avoided, the species will become a showcase program for the Chinese government and its collaborators. We reviewed the major advancements in ecological science for the giant panda, examining how these advancements have contributed to panda conservation. Pandas’ morphological and behavioral adaptations to a diet of bamboo, which bear strong influence on movement ecology, have been well studied, providing knowledge to guide management actions ranging from reserve design to climate change mitigation. Foraging ecology has also provided essential information used in the creation of landscape models of panda habitat. Because habitat loss and fragmentation are major drivers of the panda population decline, efforts have been made to help identify core habitat areas, establish where habitat corridors are needed, and prioritize areas for protection and restoration. Thus, habitat models have provided guidance for the Chinese governments’ creation of 67 protected areas. Behavioral research has revealed a complex and efficient communication system and documented the need for protection of habitat that serves as a communication platform for bringing the sexes together for mating. Further research shows that den sites in old‐growth forests may be a limiting resource, indicating potential value in providing alternative den sites for rearing offspring. Advancements in molecular ecology have been revolutionary and have been applied to population census, determining population structure and genetic diversity, evaluating connectivity following habitat fragmentation, and understanding dispersal patterns. These advancements form a foundation for increasing the application of adaptive management approaches to move panda conservation forward more rapidly. Although the Chinese government has made great progress in setting aside protected areas, future emphasis will be improved management of pandas and their habitat.     

Viable contribution of Tibetan sacred mountains in southwestern China to forest conservation

The Tibetan sacred mountains (TSMs) cover a large area and may represent a landscape‐scale conservation opportunity. We compared the conservation value of forests in these mountains with the conservation value of government‐established nature reserves and unmanaged open‐access areas in Danba County, southwestern China. We used Landsat satellite images to map forest cover and to estimate forest loss in 1974–1989, 1989–1999, and 1999–2013. The TSMs (n = 41) and nature reserves (n = 4) accounted for 21.6% and 29.7% of the county's land area, respectively. Remaining land was open‐access areas (i.e., areas without any restrictions on resource use) (56.2%) and farmlands (2.2%). Within the elevation range suitable for forests, forest cover did not differ significantly between nature reserves (58.8%) and open‐access areas (58.4%), but was significantly higher in TSMs (65.5%) after controlling for environmental factors such as aspect, slope, and elevation. The TSMs of great cultural importance had higher forest cover, but patrols by monastery staff were not necessarily associated with increased forest cover. The annual deforestation rate in nonsacred areas almost tripled in 1989–1999 (111.4 ha/year) relative to 1974–1989 (40.4 ha/year), whereas the rate in TSMs decreased in the later period (19.7 ha/year vs. 17.2 ha/year). The reduced forest loss in TSMs in 1989–1999 was possibly due to the renaissance of TSM worship and strengthened management by the local Buddhist community since late 1980s. The annual deforestation rate in Danba decreased dramatically to 4.4 ha/year in 1999–2013, which coincided with the implementation of a national ban on logging in 1998. As the only form of protected area across the Tibetan region during much of its history, TSMs have positively contributed to conserving forest at a landscape scale. Conservation of TSM forests largely relied on the strength of local religious institutions. Integrating community‐based conservation of TSMs within the government conservation network would benefit the conservation of the Tibetan region.     

湖北省湖库洪水调蓄能力及其空间分异特征

湖泊是抵御湖区水系洪水灾害的天然屏障，而水库是现代防洪工程体系的重要组成部分，两者共同肩负着防洪减灾的重任。为探明湖北省湖库洪水调蓄能力，选取湖泊可调蓄水量、水库防洪库容作为评估指标，通过构建湖库洪水调蓄能力评估模型，分析全省湖库洪水调蓄能力及空间分异特征。结论如下：（1）湖北省湖泊、水库综合洪水调蓄量为416.02×108m3，其中湖泊可调蓄水量为79.69×108m3，水库防洪库容为336.33×108m3，分别占湖库洪水调蓄功能总量的19.16%和80.84%;（2）湖泊可调蓄水量较大的地区包括武汉、荆州、鄂州、黄石等地市以及鄂东丘陵、江汉平原，而单位面积湖泊调蓄洪水能力较强的地区为鄂州、黄石、咸宁、黄冈，其值分别为405.99×104、400.31×104、392.32×104和391.22×104m3/km2;（3）水库防洪库容较大的地区主要为鄂西山地的宜昌和十堰，分别为119.18×108m3和 103.03×108m3，占全省防洪库容总量的66.06%，而鄂州、天门和神农架水库防洪库容极小，不足全省水库总防洪库容的1%;（4）湖库综合调蓄能力空间分布特征与水库洪水调蓄能力空间分布相一致；从湖泊、水库洪水调蓄能力的构成来看，以湖泊防洪为主和以水库防洪为主的地市不相上下，水库在湖北省防洪体系中占绝对主体地位，同时湖泊也发挥着不可或缺的作用。针对湖泊萎缩、水库险病等突出问题，可以通过退田还湖、除险加固等工作提高湖库综合调洪能力。本研究可为湖北省湖库防洪建设提供科学指导。 关键词： 湖泊；水库；洪水调蓄功能；空间分异；湖北省     

浙江省萧山市山一村农村生态良性循环与系统管理研究 Ⅴ.农田病虫害综合防治试验与实施

本项调控工程分两步:1984—1986年在山一村106ha农田开展病虫害综合防治试验示范;1987—1989年将试验成果应用于生产。试验研究取得了明显的经济效益、生态效益和社会效益:农药用量比1983年前减少80.6％,稻谷中农药残留不超标(原有机氯农药666残留超标率31.6％);害虫天敌稻田蜘蛛增加83.3—180.0％,稻虱多索线虫增加2倍;防治农药成本减少53.7％。并制定了《山一村农田农药污染防治技术规程》,其主要内容有:开展病虫害“二查二定”,达到防治指标时用药;制定病虫害防治策略,在防治适期内用药;推广高效低残留农药,遵守农药安全间隔期;推广抗性良种,适施N肥,增施P、K肥;保护利用天敌,发挥天敌自然抑制作用。     

转化血型用蕃茄α－D－半乳糖苷酶的分离、纯化及理化性质

成熟蕃茄匀浆后，经硫酸铵盐析，ＤＥＡＥ－ＳｅｐｈａｄｅｘＡ－５０离子交换层析，ＳｅｐａｄｅｘＧ－１００凝胶过滤和Ｍｅｌｉｂｉｏｓｅ－Ａｇａｒｏｓｅ亲和层析，获得了α－Ｄ－半乳糖苷酶（Ｃ．Ｅ．３．２．１．１１）。酶制剂经ＰＡＧＥ检测为一条带；ＳＤＳ－Ｇ－ＰＡＧＥ测得酶Ｍｒ为３４０００；比活力５２．９Ｕ／ｍｇ·；提纯倍数为５２９０１产率为４５％．酶专－催化以α－Ｄ－半乳糖为末端ａ－（１，３）连接的糖苷键，以ＰＮＰＧ（对硝基苯－α－Ｄ－半乳糖昔）为废物，酶催化反应的Ｋｍ＝０．１１ｍｍｏｌ／Ｌ，Ｖｍａｘ为６７μｍｏｌ·ｍｇ１－·ｍｉｎ－１．ｔ稳定范是０～３５℃；ＰＨ稳定范围是４．０～７．０．最适ｐＨ为５．１．半乳糖是酶的竞争性抑制剂；Ｃｕ２＋、Ｚｎ２＋、Ｍｎ２＋、Ｆｅ３＋、Ａｇ＋和ＥＤＴＡ对酶活性无影响．纯酶制剂可作为Ｂ型血向Ｏ型血转化的工具酶液．     

有机物料与~(32)P标记过磷酸钙混合施用对磷有效性的影响

本试验利用~(32)P示踪法研究赤红壤上两种有机物料与过磷酸钙混合施用对磷有效性的影响。盆栽试验表明,纸厂废料蔗渣或猪粪与磷肥混合施用比磷肥单独施用更有利于提高格拉姆柱花草的含磷量和总吸磷量。单位施磷量引起的土壤有效磷和植株吸磷量的增加量也是有机物料单施或与磷肥混施高于磷肥单施。在前39d,~(32)P标记过磷酸钙的利用率在单独施用时为2.14％,比混合施用高一倍左右;在80d时,混合施用的磷利用率较快提高,蔗渣与磷肥混施处理超过单独施用,达22.88％。