Using environmental heterogeneity to plan for sea‐level rise

Environmental heterogeneity is increasingly being used to select conservation areas that will provide for future biodiversity under a variety of climate scenarios. This approach, termed conserving nature's stage (CNS), assumes environmental features respond to climate change more slowly than biological communities, but will CNS be effective if the stage were to change as rapidly as the climate? We tested the effectiveness of using CNS to select sites in salt marshes for conservation in coastal Georgia (U.S.A.), where environmental features will change rapidly as sea level rises. We calculated species diversity based on distributions of 7 bird species with a variety of niches in Georgia salt marshes. Environmental heterogeneity was assessed across six landscape gradients (e.g., elevation, salinity, and patch area). We used 2 approaches to select sites with high environmental heterogeneity: site complementarity (environmental diversity [ED]) and local environmental heterogeneity (environmental richness [ER]). Sites selected based on ER predicted present‐day species diversity better than randomly selected sites (up to an 8.1% improvement), were resilient to areal loss from SLR (1.0% average areal loss by 2050 compared with 0.9% loss of randomly selected sites), and provided habitat to a threatened species (0.63 average occupancy compared with 0.6 average occupancy of randomly selected sites). Sites selected based on ED predicted species diversity no better or worse than random and were not resilient to SLR (2.9% average areal loss by 2050). Despite the discrepancy between the 2 approaches, CNS is a viable strategy for conservation site selection in salt marshes because the ER approach was successful. It has potential for application in other coastal areas where SLR will affect environmental features, but its performance may depend on the magnitude of geological changes caused by SLR. Our results indicate that conservation planners that had heretofore excluded low‐lying coasts from CNS planning could include coastal ecosystems in regional conservation strategies.     

Potential Negative Ecological Effects of Corridors

Despite many studies showing that landscape corridors increase dispersal and species richness for disparate taxa, concerns persist that corridors can have unintended negative effects. In particular, some of the same mechanisms that underlie positive effects of corridors on species of conservation interest may also increase the spread and impact of antagonistic species (e.g., predators and pathogens), foster negative effects of edges, increase invasion by exotic species, increase the spread of unwanted disturbances such as fire, or increase population synchrony and thus reduce persistence. We conducted a literature review and meta‐analysis to evaluate the prevalence of each of these negative effects. We found no evidence that corridors increase unwanted disturbance or non‐native species invasion; however, these have not been well‐studied concerns (1 and 6 studies, respectively). Other effects of corridors were more often studied and yielded inconsistent results; mean effect sizes were indistinguishable from zero. The effect of edges on abundances of target species was as likely to be positive as negative. Corridors were as likely to have no effect on antagonists or population synchrony as they were to increase those negative effects. We found 3 deficiencies in the literature. First, despite studies on how corridors affect predators, there are few studies of related consequences for prey population size and persistence. Second, properly designed studies of negative corridor effects are needed in natural corridors at scales larger than those achievable in experimental systems. Third, studies are needed to test more targeted hypotheses about when corridor‐mediated effects on invasive species or disturbance may be negative for species of management concern. Overall, we found no overarching support for concerns that construction and maintenance of habitat corridors may result in unintended negative consequences. Negative edge effects may be mitigated by widening corridors or softening edges between corridors and the matrix. Other negative effects are relatively small and manageable compared with the large positive effects of facilitating dispersal and increasing diversity of native species. Efectos Negativos Potenciales de los Corredores     

Assessing Sustainability at Multiple Scales in a Rotational Bushmeat Hunting System

Abstract: Results of many studies show unsustainable levels of bushmeat hunting across West/Central Africa. Nevertheless, these results are usually derived from snapshot sustainability indices in which critical parameters are often taken from the literature. Simple, more informative tools for assessing sustainability are needed. We evaluated the impact of bushmeat hunting across a range of temporal, spatial, and taxonomic scales in a comparison of different measures of sustainability. Over 15 months in 2002–2004 in and around a village close to Equatorial Guinea's Monte Alén National Park, we collected data via a village offtake survey, hunter‐camp bushmeat‐consumption diaries, hunter interviews, and following hunters during hunts. We compared 2003 data with a previous offtake survey (1998–1999) and interview reports back to 1990. In the past 14 years, average distance from the village at which hunters operated remained constant, with hunters switching back and forth between long‐established camps, although trapping effort increased. In the past 5 years, overall offtake and number of active hunters did not change substantially, although catch per unit effort (CPUE) decreased slightly. Although the proportion of the two most commonly trapped species (Cephalophus monticola and Atherurus africanus) and gun‐hunted primates increased in the offtake, species presumably less robust to trapping decreased slightly. Apparent sustainability in economic terms may be masking gradual local extirpation of more vulnerable species before and during this study. Our results suggest that changes in prey profiles and CPUE may be the most accurate indicators of actual sustainability; these indices can be monitored with simple village‐based offtake surveys and hunter interviews to improve community management of bushmeat hunting.     

昌黎生态监控区夏季浮游植物群落年际变化特征分析

为研究昌黎生态监控区夏季浮游植物群落结构特征及其与环境因子关系,采用2005~2013年夏季(8月)昌黎生态监控区海域浮游植物及环境因子的监测资料,基于Arc GIS 10.0和Canoco软件平台,运用典范对应分析方法,对浮游植物群落结构进行分析.结果表明,近9 a共鉴定出浮游植物3门23科39属105种,其中,硅藻门16科32属90种,占浮游植物总数的85.7%;甲藻门共6科6属14种,占总种类数的13.3%;金藻门1种.各年的优势种存在很大差异,按照优势度Y值的大小包括辐射圆筛藻(Coscinodiscus radiatus)、柔弱角毛藻(Coscinodiscus debilis)、笔尖根管藻(Rhizosolenia styliformis)、柏氏角管藻(Cerataulina bergoni)、威氏圆筛藻(Coscinodiscus wailesii)、海链藻(Thalassiosira sp.)、三角角藻(Ceratium tripos)、洛氏角毛藻(Coscinodiscus wailesii)、中肋骨条藻(Ceratium tripos)等.夏季细胞丰度年际变化较大,呈现逐渐降低的趋势.浮游植物的多样性指数H'值介于0.015~3.889,均匀度指数J值介于0.009~1,年际变化幅度较小;各站位间物种分布不均匀,优势种较少且优势度较大.对浮游植物群落与环境因子进行典范对应分析(CCA),结果表明影响夏季浮游植物群落结构变化的环境因子包括水温、营养盐(磷酸盐、硝酸氮、氨氮)、盐度等,且是各个环境因子相互作用的结果.     

Performance and microbial community of a membrane bioreactor system——Treating wastewater from ethanol fermentation of food waste

In this study, a lab-scale biological anaerobic/anaerobic/anoxic/membrane bioreactor(A_-~3MBR) was designed to treat wastewater from the ethanol fermentation of food waste,a promising way for the disposal of food waste and reclamation of resources. The 454 pyrosequencing technique was used to investigate the composition of the microbial community in the treatment system. The system yielded a stable effluent concentration of chemical oxygen demand(202 ± 23 mg/L), total nitrogen(62.1 ± 7.1 mg/L), ammonia(0.3 ±0.13 mg/L) and total phosphorus(8.3 ± 0.9 mg/L), and the reactors played different roles in specific pollutant removal. The exploration of the microbial community in the system revealed that:(1) the microbial diversity of anaerobic reactors A_1 and A_2, in which organic pollutants were massively degraded, was much higher than that in anoxic A_3 and aerobic MBR;(2) although the community composition in each reactor was quite different, bacteria assigned to the classes Clostridia, Bacteroidia, and Synergistia were important and common microorganisms for organic pollutant degradation in the anaerobic units, and bacteria from Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria were the dominant microbial population in A_3 and MBR;(3) the taxon identification indicated that Arcobacter in the anaerobic reactors and Thauera in the anoxic reactor were two representative genera in the biological process. Our results proved that the biological A_-~3MBR process is an alternative technique for treating wastewater from food waste.     

南京江北核心区气候环境宜居性评价

气候环境条件是影响宜居的一个重要因素。运用多层次评价模型,从气象灾害、大气环境、人体健康及生态气象等4个层面筛选出20项指标,构建区域气候环境宜居性的评价体系,基于层次分析法(AHP)确定各指标的权重,并以南京江北核心区为例,对其宜居水平进行评价。结果表明:在青奥生态建设期间(2011—2014年),研究区的宜居水平整体呈上升趋势,属于宜居范畴,接近非常宜居的标准。这反映青奥会期间的环境整治与灾害防治工作初见成效,对江北核心区的宜居性起正效应作用。     

原始红松林退化演替后土壤微生物功能多样性的变化

为了全面了解原始红松林退化演替为次生林后土壤生境及土壤微生物功能多样性的变化规律,以小兴安岭典型的原始阔叶红松林、退化演替后先锋阶段的白桦林及亚顶级阶段的硬阔叶林为研究对象,采用Biolog-ECO微平板检测法,分析三者0~ < 10 cm和10~20 cm表层土的土壤微生物功能多样性变化规律.结果表明:各林型土壤微生物的AWCD值（平均颜色变化率）随培养时间的延长而增加,培养初期表现为原始阔叶红松林>硬阔叶林>白桦林;培养末期表现为原始阔叶红松林>白桦林>硬阔叶林,三者的AWCD值在0~ < 10 cm土层分别为1.06、0.86、0.81,10~20 cm土层分别为0.68、0.47、0.45,原始林显著高于次生林（P < 0.05）,说明原始林土壤微生物对单一碳源的代谢活性显著高于次生林;同一林型下土壤微生物的AWCD值均表现为0~ < 10 cm土层显著高于10~20 cm土层（P < 0.05）. Shannon-Wiener多样性指数、Simpson指数、McIntosh指数和Richness丰富度指数也均表现为原始林显著高于次生林（P < 0.05）.原始林土壤微生物对各类碳源的综合利用强度均大于次生林,不同林型下土壤微生物群落的优势碳源类型存在一定的差异,碳水类、氨基酸类、羧酸类和多聚物类碳源是原始林退化演替后土壤微生物群落在碳源利用上发生变化的敏感碳源.      

蔗渣垫料在零排放发酵床养猪中的应用研究

目前微生物发酵床养猪垫料是选用木屑、谷壳作为原料,来实现零排放养猪。文章选用农业固体废弃物——蔗渣为垫料应用于零排放漏缝发酵床养猪,跟踪了3个月垫料在实际使用中的温度、有机质、氮、磷、钾、微生物指标,对蔗渣的使用效果进行了评价,并建立PCR反应体系来扩增DNA,利用PCR-DGGE技术对垫料中的微生物群落多样性进行研究。结果表明:蔗渣作为垫料,能使垫床温度控制在40⁶5℃之间,保证了良好的发酵效果、且有效活菌数达到0.22×109cfu/g,可以对猪粪便等有机质进行较彻底的消解,因此蔗渣可以作为一种垫料应用于零排放漏缝发酵床;垫料中总养分达到1.371 7%,使用后的垫料可以作为一种原料生产生物有机肥。     

溶解氧变化对底泥酶活性及微生物多样性的影响

采用室内静态实验考察了溶解氧变化对底泥酶活性影响,同时采用BIOLOG ECO微平板构造了不同溶解氧水平下底泥微生物多样性指数。结果表明:高溶解氧条件下,底泥多酚氧化酶及过氧化物酶活性显著高于缺氧条件及厌氧条件(P<0.01),脱氢酶活性高于背景值;厌氧条件下脱氢酶、脲酶及碱性磷酸酶活性显著高于高溶解氧组、缺氧组及背景值(P<0.05);缺氧条件下硝酸盐还原酶活性显著高于高溶解氧组及厌氧组(P<0.05);蛋白酶活性受溶解氧水平变化的影响较小。BIOLOG ECO微平板法分析表明,溶解氧变化对底泥微生物多样性有不同程度的负面影响,微生物多样性的降低程度从大到小依次为高溶解氧组>厌氧组>缺氧组。主成分分析结果表明:缺氧条件及厌氧条件下,底泥微生物对大分子有机物的利用出现不同程度的降低,相对地,高溶解氧条件下微生物对大分子有机物的利用程度呈现先下降后上升的趋势;高溶解氧组及缺氧组底泥微生物对碳水化合物利用程度升高,厌氧组对碳水化合物利用程度降低。总之,高溶解氧条件更有利于形成底泥有机物完整的代谢循环,提高大分子有机物的利用程度。     

溪源宫水源保护区浮游植物群落结构分析研究

文章主要对2011年8月至12月溪源宫水源保护区浮游植物群落结构进行调查分析。溪源宫水体共鉴定出浮游植物6门51属137种,主要都是以绿藻门、硅藻门、蓝藻门为主。通过采用浮游植物生物量以及多样性指数对研究区域水体进行了评价,结果表明溪源宫水源保护区水质状况较好。同时还将溪源宫水源保护区、闽江、山仔水库等不同水源地的浮游植物群落结构进行对比分析,发现不同营养状态下,水体中浮游植物群落结构有显著的不同。