SELECTED CHALLENGES IN RUNOFF GENERATION RESEARCH IN FORESTS FROM THE HILLSLOPE TO HEADWATER DRAINAGE BASIN SCALE1

ABSTRACT: When faced with practical forest land management issues such as the impacts of logging or forest conversion to other land uses, planners ideally require a comprehensive understanding of within drainage basin hydrological processes to determine the most vulnerable areas to increased storm runoff and erosion. Land managers in particular need to know the source areas and magnitude of inputs to the storm hydrograph, in terms of water quantity, sediment and solute transport; and the routing of such hydrographs from headwater to larger drainage basins. The latter includes an overall assessment at various scales of the impacts of forest disturbance and conversion on the water balance. This paper will focus on runoff generation in terms of identifying the various pathways and source areas. Such aspects will be linked with the need for a more comprehensive effort towards the field testing of so-called ‘physically based’ models of runoff generation. Some of the controversial issues arising from the difficulties in reconciling results from hydrochemical investigations with complementary hydrometric studies will be highlighted. Subsequently, attention will be given to topographic-wetness models, which have promising applications in forestland management. In addition, alternative simple models for application at the catchment scale will be assessed. The latter is in recognition that at smaller scales, heterogeneity both in time and space of soil hydraulic properties demand a greater number of parameters in modelling. Such considerations can even prove an obstacle in terms of the confident application of ‘physically based’ models.     

关于小型污水处理厂实验室管理的若干问题探讨

从分析小型污水处理厂实验室现状入手,指出当前污水处理厂实验室存在的问题,并就其规范化管理的重要性进行了探讨。     

Influence of Forest Fragmentation on Community Structure of Frogs and Lizards in Northeastern Costa Rica

Abstract:  To better understand responses of reptiles and amphibians to forest fragmentation in the lowland Neotropics, we examined community and population structure of frogs and lizards in the fragmented landscape surrounding La Selva Biological Station in the Sarapiquí region of northeastern Costa Rica. We used diurnal quadrats and nocturnal transects to sample frogs and lizards in nine forest fragments (1–7 ha each) and La Selva (1100 ha). Species richness in all fragments combined was 85% of that found in La Selva with comparable sampling effort. Richness varied from 10 to 24 species among forest fragments, compared with 36 species at La Selva. Lizard density was higher and frog density was lower in forest fragments than in La Selva. Community composition varied among sites and by fragment size class, and species occurrence was nested with respect to fragment area. Isolation and habitat variables did not significantly affect species richness, composition, or nestedness. We classified 34% of species as fragmentation sensitive because they were absent or occurred at low densities in fragments. Nevertheless, the relatively high diversity observed in the entire set of fragments indicates that preserving a network of small forest patches may be of considerable conservation value to the amphibians and reptiles of this region.     

Accounting for large-scale factors in the study of understory vegetation using a conditional logistic model

Local-scale and large-scale factors can affect the presence of a species of understory vegetation in the forest. Local-scale factors may be the influence of surrounding trees, while climate and latitude are typically considered large-scale factors. A model for the presence of a species needs to take into account both scales. A conditional logistic model is proposed for those studies where only the local-scale factors are of interest and that avoids estimating the large-scale parameters. Conditioning is carried out by the number of quadrats in the plot where the vegetation is found. As the latter is a sufficient statistic for the large-scale factors, a model free from these parameters is obtained. Data gathered in the permanent sample plots of the 1985–1986 National Forest Inventory of Finland is used for illustration, where the local-scale factor of interest is the influence of the trees, quantified by an index based on the size and location of the trees. The model fitted to Vaccinium vitis-idaea showed a significant and positive influence of Scots pine on the presence of this species, while for Calamagrostis arundinacea, a decrease in the odds ratio was observed due to the influence of Norway spruce.     

Increasing the Accuracy of Productivity and Survival Estimates in Assessing Landbird Population Status

Abstract:  The conservation of species with declining populations requires information on population demography and identification of factors that limit population growth. For landbird species, an understanding of large-scale population declines often requires assessment of local population processes, including the production of offspring, the survival of those offspring, and adult survival. Population growth has been modeled for several species of landbirds to date, and these studies have provided important information on relationships between population status and population-limiting factors. Several recent studies have illuminated field methods and analytical techniques that can aid in increasing the accuracy of productivity and survival estimates for population models. We reviewed these methods and recommend their implementation, including quantification of the season-long productivity of individuals, collection of empirical data on juvenile survival during the postfledging and overwintering periods, and incorporation of adult breeding dispersal into annual adult survival estimates. Such methods will allow for more accurate assessment of population status and provide a better understanding of the factors on which to focus our conservation efforts.     

纳米银与银离子对土壤微生物及酶活性的影响

为研究纳米银和银离子对土壤微生物的影响,采用土壤培养方式,对不同剂量纳米银(10、50、100 mg·kg~(-1))和银离子(1、5、10 mg·kg~(-1))暴露下黄褐土、砖红壤中可培养微生物数量及土壤酶活性(脲酶、荧光素二乙酸酯水解酶、蔗糖酶、过氧化氢酶)进行研究,并采用纯培养方法对纳米银和银离子暴露下的大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)、金黄色葡萄球菌(Staphylococcus aureus)凋亡情况进行检测,对纳米银释放的银离子毒性进行评估。结果表明,随着纳米银剂量的增加,土壤可培养微生物数量显著减少,脲酶和过氧化氢酶活性降低,蔗糖酶、荧光素二乙酸酯水解酶(FDA酶)活性没有显著变化;银离子处理中微生物数量明显减少,但土壤酶活性被激活。10 mg·L~(-1)纳米银暴露1 h后大肠杆菌、金黄色葡萄球菌凋亡率、死亡率增高;随着培养时间的延长,纳米银缓慢释放银离子,并促进大肠杆菌的凋亡。综上分析,纳米银能够抑制土壤可培养微生物生长和酶活性,其中脲酶、过氧化氢酶对纳米银较为敏感,蔗糖酶、FDA酶受纳米银的影响较小;纳米银的毒性一方面是其本身的特异抗菌性,也有部分来自缓慢释放的银离子。     

Objectives for Multiple-Species Conservation Planning

Abstract:  The first step in conservation planning is to identify objectives. Most stated objectives for conservation, such as to maximize biodiversity outcomes, are too vague to be useful within a decision-making framework. One way to clarify the issue is to define objectives in terms of the risk of extinction for multiple species. Although the assessment of extinction risk for single species is common, few researchers have formulated an objective function that combines the extinction risks of multiple species. We sought to translate the broad goal of maximizing the viability of species into explicit objectives for use in a decision-theoretic approach to conservation planning. We formulated several objective functions based on extinction risk across many species and illustrated the differences between these objectives with simple examples. Each objective function was the mathematical representation of an approach to conservation and emphasized different levels of threat. Our objectives included minimizing the joint probability of one or more extinctions, minimizing the expected number of extinctions, and minimizing the increase in risk of extinction from the best-case scenario. With objective functions based on joint probabilities of extinction across species, any correlations in extinction probabilities had to be known or the resultant decisions were potentially misleading. Additive objectives, such as the expected number of extinctions, did not produce the same anomalies. We demonstrated that the choice of objective function is central to the decision-making process because alternative objective functions can lead to a different ranking of management options. Therefore, decision makers need to think carefully in selecting and defining their conservation goals.