Patch Mosaic Burning for Biodiversity Conservation: a Critique of the Pyrodiversity Paradigm

Abstract:  Fire management is increasingly focusing on introducing heterogeneity in burning patterns under the assumption that "pyrodiversity begets biodiversity." This concept has been formalized as patch mosaic burning (PMB), in which fire is manipulated to create a mosaic of patches representative of a range of fire histories to generate heterogeneity across space and time. Although PMB is an intuitively appealing concept, it has received little critical analysis. Thus we examined ecosystems where PMB has received the most attention and has been the most extensively implemented: tropical and subtropical savannas of Australia and Africa. We identified serious shortcomings of PMB: the ecological significance of different burning patterns remains unknown and details of desired fire mosaics remain unspecified. This has led to fire-management plans based on pyrodiversity rhetoric that lacks substance in terms of operational guidelines and capacity for meaningful evaluation. We also suggest that not all fire patterns are ecologically meaningful: this seems particularly true for the highly fire-prone savannas of Australia and South Africa. We argue that biodiversity-needs-pyrodiversity advocacy needs to be replaced with a more critical consideration of the levels of pyrodiversity needed for biodiversity and greater attention to operational guidelines for its implementation.     

两栖动物在环境污染生物监测中的应用前景

简单介绍了生物监洲的优越性和选择指示生物的一般标准，沦述了不同生态类群作为指示生物的研究；重点讨论了两栖动物作为指示生物在环境监测中的优越性及其与环境的父系，总结了两栖动物在污染环境中的异常反应，综述了两栖动物作为指示生物在环境污染生物监测中的研究历史和现状，提出了利用两栖动物的形态和行为模式建立水体污染生物监测仪器的可能性，为生物监测提供了科学依据，表1参51     

A Global Indicator for Biological Invasion

Abstract:  "Trends in invasive alien species" is one of only two indicators of threat to biodiversity that form part of the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) framework for monitoring progress toward its "2010 target" (i.e., the commitment to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction in the current rate of biodiversity loss). To date, however, there is no fully developed indicator for invasive alien species (IAS) that combines trends, derived from a standard set of methods, across species groups, ecosystems, and regions. Here we provide a rationale for the form and characteristics of an indicator of trends in IAS that will meet the 2010 framework goal and targets for this indicator. We suggest single and composite indicators that include problem-status and management-status measures that are designed to be flexible, readily disaggregated, and as far as possible draw on existing data. The single indicators at national and global scales are number of IAS and numbers of operational management plans for IAS. Global trends in IAS are measured as the progress of nations toward the targets of stabilizing IAS numbers and the implementation of IAS management plans. The proposed global indicator thus represents a minimum information set that most directly addresses the indicator objective and simultaneously aims to maximize national participation. This global indicator now requires testing to assess its accuracy, sensitivity, and tractability. Although it may not be possible to achieve the desired objective for a global indicator of biological invasion by 2010 as comprehensively as desired, it seems possible to obtain trend estimates for a component of the taxa, ecosystems, and regions involved. Importantly, current indicator development initiatives will also contribute to developing the mechanisms necessary for monitoring global trends in IAS beyond 2010.     

活性污泥运转效能的生物监测

讨论了θ/℃，pH,ρ(BOD)/mgL^-1,ρ(COD)/mgL^-1,ρ(SS)/mgL^-1,ρ(N)/mgL^-1,ρ(P)/mgL^-1,w(Cu^2 )/10^-6等几个影响活性污泥状况的理化因素，认为必须调节均化进水的水质水量，并调控污泥龄，回流比，曝气量等各种运行参数，分析了活性污泥的生理，生化监测法及运用细菌，藻类，原生动物，后生动物所进行的生物监测，提出通过监测原生动物群落动态是判断活性污泥运行效能的一种较简便准确的方法，比较了斑点杂交法（dot blot hybrid-ization)，最大机率法（most probable number methods,MPNM),抗体（antibody)法和荧光原位杂交（fluorescent in situ hy-bridization,FISH)法检测氨氧化菌（ammonia-oxidizing bacteria)数量的效果，表明斑点杂交法具有高的准确度，并能检测出较低密度的细菌，MPNM低估了细菌数量，抗体法有高估细菌数的可能，FISH法对氨氮含量高的活性污泥混合液检测结果较好，但对低氨氮含量污水厂出水和河水的检测效果不佳。     

水质在线监测中的若干问题

以环境水质自动监测子站的采样和配水系统为切入点，针对不同环节上极易出现的问题，分别提出具体的解决方案。     

Extinction Rate Estimates for Plant Populations in Revisitation Studies: Importance of Detectability

Abstract:  Many researchers have obtained extinction-rate estimates for plant populations by comparing historical and current records of occurrence. A population that is no longer found is assumed to have gone extinct. Extinction can then be related to characteristics of these populations, such as habitat type, size, or species, to test ideas about what factors may affect extinction. Such studies neglect the fact that a population may be overlooked, however, which may bias estimates of extinction rates upward. In addition, if populations are unequally detectable across groups to be compared, such as habitat type or population size, comparisons become distorted to an unknown degree. To illustrate the problem, I simulated two data sets, assuming a constant extinction rate, in which populations occurred in different habitats or habitats of different size and these factors affected their detectability. The conventional analysis implicitly assumed that detectability equalled 1 and used logistic regression to estimate extinction rates. It wrongly identified habitat and population size as factors affecting extinction risk. In contrast, with capture-recapture methods, unbiased estimates of extinction rates were recovered. I argue that capture-recapture methods should be considered more often in estimations of demographic parameters in plant populations and communities.     

计算机辅助确定外因火灾位置方法

系统介绍用计算机辅助确定矿井外因火灾位置方法的原理,给出该方法的具体步骤,剖析其定性分析、定量分析和定量分析结果评价三大步骤中的各技术关键,并借助一个实例验证了该方法实用的可行性     

Use of Airborne Thermal Imagery to Detect and Monitor Inshore Oil Spill Residues During Darkness Hours

/ Trials were conducted using an airborne video system operating in the visible, near-infrared, and thermal wavelengths to detect two known oil spill releases during darkness at a distance of 10 nautical miles from the shore in St. Vincent's Gulf, South Australia. The oil spills consisted of two 20-liter samples released at 2-h intervals, one sample consisted of paraffinic neutral material and the other of automotive diesel oil. A tracking buoy was sent overboard in conjunction with the release of sample 1, and its movement monitored by satellite relay. Both oil residues were overflown by a light aircraft equipped with thermal, visible, and infrared imagers at a period of approximately 1 h after the release of the second oil residue. Trajectories of the oil residue releases were also modeled and the results compared to those obtained by the airborne video and the tracking buoy. Airborne imagery in the thermal wavelengths successfully located and mapped both oil residue samples during nighttime conditions. Results from the trial suggest that the most advantageous technique would be the combined use of the tracking beacon to obtain an approximate location of the oil spill and the airborne imagery to ascertain its extent and characteristics.KEY WORDS: Airborne video; Thermal imagery; Global positioning; Oil-spill monitoring; Tracking beacon     

平行双样对天然气中硫化物采样的质量控制

为了研究平行双样对天然气中硫化物采样质量控制措施的可靠性,对现场采集的８对硫化物平行样用对氨基二甲基苯胺光度法进行测定。对测定结果及相对偏差进行Ｗ（Ｓｈａｐｉｒｏ－Ｗｉｌｋ）检验,检验结果说明平行双样相对偏差服从正态分布,数据的一致性较好,说明用平行双样对采样进行质量控制是可行的。文中还用Ｇｒｕｂｂｓ检验法计算出在该实验条件下测定天然气中硫化物平行双样的相对偏差质量控制范围为１．９３％±１２．５％。