Forest age influences oak insect herbivore community structure, richness, and density.

Plant succession is one of many factors that may affect the composition and structure of herbivorous insect communities. However, few studies have examined the effect of forest age on the diversity and abundance of insect communities. If forest age influences insect diversity, then the schedule of timber harvest rotation may have consequent effects on biodiversity. The insect herbivore community on Quercus alba (white oak) in the Missouri Ozarks was sampled in a chronoseries, from recently harvested (2 yr) to old-growth (approximately 313 yr) forests. A total of nine sites and 39 stands within those sites were sampled in May and August 2003. Unique communities of plants and insects were found in the oldest forests (122-313 yr). Density and species richness of herbivores were positively correlated with increasing forest age in August but not in May. August insect density was negatively correlated with heat load index; in addition, insect density and richness increased over the chronoseries, but not on the sunniest slopes. Forest structural diversity (number of size classes) was positively correlated with forest age, but woody plant species richness was not. In sum, richness, density, and community structure of white oak insect herbivores are influenced by variation in forest age, forest structure, relative abundance of plant species, and abiotic conditions. These results suggest that time between harvests of large, long-lived, tree species such as white oak should be longer than current practice in order to maintain insect community diversity.     

Divergence of carbon dioxide fluxes in different trophic areas of Taihu Lake,China

IntroductionCarbondioxide(CO2 )isaprincipalgreenhousegasandthereforetheirair waterexchangesareimportantproblemsinterrestrialecosystemsforclimatechangestudy(Frankignoulle ,1 998;Chimel,2 0 0 1 ) .ThedirectionofCO2 gasexchange(evasionorinvasion)isdependentonthedirectionoftheCO2concentrationgradientbetweentheairandthesurfacewater;themagnitudeoftheexchangedependsadditionallyonthegasexchangecoefficient,k.Alloflakesinland ,withitssmallareabutlargeatmosphericCO2 fluxrange ,playanimportantroleinev…     

Parasite faunas,testosterone and secondary sexual traits in male red-winged blackbirds

Summary We examined associations among parasite infections, secondary sexual traits and testosterone in male red-winged blackbirds sampled at the start of the breeding season. Parasites quantified included ectoparasitic lice and mites and endoparasitic blood protozoans, nematodes, trematodes and cestodes. Secondary sexual traits that we quantified included body size, epaulet size and color, song repertoire size and song switching rate, and behavioral responses to male and female models. Overall we found few significant associations between parasites and secondary sexual traits, between secondary sexual traits and testosterone, or between parasites and testosterone. In addition, most parasite taxa appeared to infect birds independently, although the low prevalence (<50%) of many of the parasites meant that our sample sizes were too small to detect weak associations. Our most promising results were obtained for ectoparasitic mites, which tended to occur on birds uninfected with other parasites, on birds with longer epaulets, and on birds with higher levels of testosterone. Epaulet length and testosterone are both probable correlates of dominance in this species. Further research will be required to determine whether there is a causal link between the immunosuppressive effects of testosterone and the mite infections, and between testosterone, epaulet length and male mating success. Correspondence to: P. Weatherhead     

Adaptive management for sound ecosystem management

Sound ecosystem management meshes socioeconomic attitudes and values with sustainable natural resource practices. Adaptive management is a model for guiding natural resource managers in this process. Ecosystems and the societies that use them are continually evolving. Therefore, managers must be flexible and adaptable in the face of uncertainty and lack of knowledge. To couple good science to management, it is important to develop goals, models, and hypotheses that allow us to systematically learn as we manage. Goals and models guide the development and implementation of management practices. The need to evaluate models and test hypotheses mandates monitoring, which feeds into a continuous cycle of goal and model reformulation. This paper reviews the process of adaptive management and describes how it is being applied to oak/pine savanna restoration at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge as an illustration. Our aim is to help managers design their own adaptive management models for successful ecosystem management.     

美国环保局的环境伙伴

通过统称为"环境伙伴"的一系列伙伴关系计划,美国环境保护局正在证实志愿目标与承诺能以一种及时和成本有效的方式达到真实的环境结果.志愿计划已经证明是一种预防污染、减少废物和提高能源效率的高度有效手段.通过这些努力,各公司正在实施新途径来改善其环境表现,且往往同时提高其基础水平.