Virtual Garden Computer Program for use in Exploring the Elements of Biodiversity People Want in Cities

Urban ecology is emerging as an integrative science that explores the interactions of people and biodiversity in cities. Interdisciplinary research requires the creation of new tools that allow the investigation of relations between people and biodiversity. It has been established that access to green spaces or nature benefits city dwellers, but the role of species diversity in providing psychological benefits remains poorly studied. We developed a user‐friendly 3‐dimensional computer program (Virtual Garden [ www.tinyurl.com/3DVirtualGarden ]) that allows people to design their own public or private green spaces with 95 biotic and abiotic features. Virtual Garden allows researchers to explore what elements of biodiversity people would like to have in their nearby green spaces while accounting for other functions that people value in urban green spaces. In 2011, 732 participants used our Virtual Garden program to design their ideal small public garden. On average gardens contained 5 different animals, 8 flowers, and 5 woody plant species. Although the mathematical distribution of flower and woody plant richness (i.e., number of species per garden) appeared to be similar to what would be expected by random selection of features, 30% of participants did not place any animal species in their gardens. Among those who placed animals in their gardens, 94% selected colorful species (e.g., ladybug [Coccinella septempunctata], Great Tit [Parus major], and goldfish), 53% selected herptiles or large mammals, and 67% selected non‐native species. Older participants with a higher level of education and participants with a greater concern for nature designed gardens with relatively higher species richness and more native species. If cities are to be planned for the mutual benefit of people and biodiversity and to provide people meaningful experiences with urban nature, it is important to investigate people's relations with biodiversity further. Virtual Garden offers a standardized tool with which to explore these relations in different environments, cultures, and countries. It can also be used by stakeholders (e.g., city planners) to consider people's opinions of local design. Programa de Computadora de Jardín Virtual para Uso en la Exploración de los Elementos de Biodiversidad que la Gente Desea en las Ciudades     

Correlates of bushmeat hunting among remote rural households in Gabon, Central Africa

Hunted wild animals (i.e., bushmeat) are a main source of protein for many rural populations in the tropics, and the unsustainable harvest of these animals puts both human food security and ecosystem functioning at risk. To understand the correlates of bushmeat consumption, we surveyed 1219 households in 121 rural villages near three newly established national parks in Gabon. Through the surveys we gathered information on bushmeat consumption, income, and material assests. In addition, we quantified land cover in a 5-km radius around the village center and distance of the village center to the nearest park boundary. Bushmeat was not a source of income for most households, but it was the primary animal protein consumed. Ninety-seven percent of households consumed bushmeat at least once during a survey period of 12 days. Income or wealth, land cover, distance of village to the nearest park boundary, and level of education of the head of the household were among the factors that significantly related to the likelihood of consuming any of the 10 most commonly consumed species of bushmeat. Household size was the predictor most strongly associated with quantities of bushmeat consumed and was negatively related to consumption. Total bushmeat consumption per adult male equivalent increased as household wealth increased and decreased as distance of villages to park boundaries increased. Bushmeat consumption at the household level was not related to unit values (i.e., price estimates for a good that typically does not have a market value; estimates derived from willingness to sell or trade the good for items of known price) of bushmeat or the price of chicken and fish as potential substitutes. The median consumption of bushmeat at the village level, however, was negatively related to village mean unit values of bushmeat across all species. Our results suggest that a lack of alternative protein sources motivated even the wealthiest among surveyed households to consume bushmeat. Providing affordable, alternative protein sources to all households would likely reduce unsustainable levels of bushmeat consumption in rural Gabon.     

城市化与国民经济发展之关系的理论分析

城市化水平与人均国民生产总值的统计关系在８０年代被建立,从理论上分析这个统计关系能加深对城市与经济发展之关系的理解。从经济学的要素替代和需求收入弹性原理概括了城市化的发展机制,认为任何一个国家或地区的城市化都遵从它。并构造了全国人均国民生产总值与城市人均国民生产总值、乡村人均国民生产总值、城市化水平的关系,它是普适的。如果假设城市、乡村人均国民生产总值的增长分别引起的全国人均国民生产总值的增长总是占据了一个不变的份额,同时,城市人均国民生产总值与乡村人均国民生产总值之差与全国人均国民生产总值成正比,那么,就可以据此演绎出这个统计关系。第二个前提暗示了一个城乡发展差距的倒“Ｕ”字型过程     

京津冀民用燃煤减排对大气中BaP污染影响评估

运用空气质量模型CMAQ模拟评估民用燃煤减排政策对京津冀大气中BaP污染状况的改进效果,模拟包括作为基准情景的2014年和低消减和高消减2个减排情景.模拟结果表明：基准情景下,京津冀BaP年均浓度为2.54ng/m³,超过国家空气质量标准（1ng/m³）,呈现1月 > 4月 > 10月 > 7月的季节变化特点,反映出冬季供暖燃煤的影响;京津冀南部BaP浓度高于北部,推测原因是南部BaP排放量较高.1月削减民用燃煤排放量对降低该地区BaP浓度和沉降量效果最显著,低削减和高削减下,北京、保定、廊坊BaP浓度分别比基准情景降低30%和40%以上;4、7、10月削减民用燃煤排放量对该地区BaP浓度和沉降量的变化影响不大.京津冀民用燃煤联防联控能更加有效地降低该地区BaP浓度.     

张北6.2级地震邯郸地区前兆异常特征研究

1998年1月10日张北发生MS6.2级地震。在震前一、二年,远在400km外的邯郸地区的多种前兆手段准同步地出现了中期异常变化,这些异常的变化幅度显著,在时间上与张北地震有较好的对应关系,信度较高。分析邯郸地区的前兆异常与张北地震的关系,有利于该区强震监测预报水平的提高,也可为地震前兆特征和机理的深入研究提供实际依据。     

超声萃取-高效液相色谱法测定土壤中苯并[a]芘研究

采用超声萃取-高效液相色谱荧光检测法对土壤中苯并[a]芘含量进行定性、定量分析.土壤样品用正己烷/二氯甲烷(1+1)超声萃取,萃取液经硅胶柱或佛罗里硅土柱净化浓缩定容,乙腈-水为流动相,线性梯度洗脱,流速为1.0 mL/min,荧光检测器激发波长为280 nm,发射波长为420 nm,外标法峰面积定量.结果显示:该方法检出限低,苯并[a]芘的检出限为0.15μg/kg.这种方法具有很好的精密度,相对标准偏差为3.9%~8.4%.实际水样加标回收率范围在72.5%~85.8%.能够满足土壤的监测要求.     

北太平洋柔鱼渔场时空分布与海洋环境要素的研究

根据2010 年7~9月和2011年7~10月“舟渔1301#” 2个航次的北太平洋柔鱼渔场海上调查资料,利用渔获生产数据?海况天气数据以及同期的卫星遥感获取的海表面温度(SST) ?海表盐度(SSS)及叶绿素a (Chl-a)浓度和海流等数据,分析柔鱼的中心渔场分布与海洋环境的变动关系.研究结果显示:整个调查期间渔获频次在SST和Chl-a因子上均呈正态分布,渔场高产的最适SST范围为18~20℃, 最适SSS范围为33.60‰~34.80‰, 最适Chl-a浓度范围为0.08~0.24mg/m3,其中SST与柔鱼渔场之间有较好的匹配关系,中心渔场通常位于18~20℃的等温线附近,且位置一般出现在冷水团和暖水团交汇区的冷水团一侧;中心渔场位于亲潮和黑潮交汇混合区的向北一侧,离交汇地带的距离较近,而且随着时间的推移,渔汛期间中心渔场的位置逐步往其向西北方向移动.总体上多个环境因子皆可作为确定潜在中心渔场的指标,但以海表水温为最佳,另外辅助寒?暖流的交汇情况以及Chl-a浓度?天气海况等因素来综合分析,判断渔场的中心位置会更准确.