Measurement and Management of Human-Induced Patterns of Forest Fragmentation: A Case Study

In many tropical developing countries, the twin pressures of population and poverty are resulting in substantial fragmentation of forests, increasing the probability of extinction for many species, Forest fragmentation occurs when large contiguous forests are perforated by small holes or broken up into edges and smaller patches to form a nonforested matrix of open spaces. Thus, forest fragmentation refers not only to the area of forest cleared, but also to the pattern of this clearance, the resulting forest’s spatial properties. Both characteristics are important for species survivability. Apart from opening up forests to many abiotic and biotic influences, fragmentation can affect species dispersal and migration through its effects on forest connectivity. Landscape ecology conceptualizes connectivity as a gradient of critical thresholds, ranging from the large intact forest to the small unconnected forest patch. This article reports results from a multiple-scale analysis of forest fragmentation in Jamaica’s Cockpit Country, an area of once contiguous forest now under threat from human encroachment. Spatial forest data derived from classification of ETM+ satellite imagery are used to measure fragmentation patterns representing various degrees of forest connectivity and density. The results suggest that, overall, 81% of the region is in forest. However, fragmentation patterns also suggest that this forest is riven with extensive perforations indicative of an early stage in the decline of contiguity. The results provided by the spatial fragmentation model are a first step in the design of effective conservation and rehabilitation plans for the area. The article concludes with a discussion of possible multiscale management options for the region.     

新型树脂对氯酚类物质的吸附研究

合成了乙酰氯修饰树脂NDA-O,与Purolite公司的MN-200相比,合成的树脂比表面积较小,但酸性官能团较多.用两种树脂吸附2-氯酚、4-氯酚和2,4-二氯酚发现,吸附结果可以用Langmuir和Freundlich等温吸附方程很好地模拟,合成的NDA-O对3种氯酚类物质的吸附能力优于MN-200.两种树脂对氯酚类物质的吸附量随着温度的升高而减少,表明吸附是放热过程,同时对氯酚类物质的吸附焓变随着吸附量的增大而减小.对同一种树脂来说,吸附量随着氯代程度的增加而增加,取代氯数相同的时候,吸附量与吸附质的K..成正相关.进一步研究了pH对吸附的影响,在pH大于9时,3种氯酚类物质的吸附量均急剧减少.     

基于震后低压变化的供水管网功能可靠度分析

供水管网的抗震功能是指供水管网在地震作用下能够满足震后城市特定用水需要(需水量和水压)的能力。地震发生后,供水管网一般处于低压供水状态,使得管网中部分用户的水压和水量不能得到全部满足,导致管网部分节点的实际配水量小于需水量。为此,在传统的管网水力分析基础上考虑节点流量随节点水压的动态变化,通过求解非线性水力方程组,得到管网节点实际流量和水压;同时,借鉴结构可靠度分析方法,引入供水管网系统随机水力模型,给出了震后供水管网功能可靠度分析的一次二阶矩方法。以一实际管网为例,演示了震后低压供水时管网功能可靠度分析的应用方法。     

Immunotoxicity of bisphenol a to Carassius auratus Lymphocytes and macrophages following in vitro exposure

Bisphenol A （BPA） is the monomer component of polycarbonate plastics and classified as an endocrine disrupting chemical （EDC）. The reproductive toxicity of BPA has been extensively studied in mammals; however, relatively little information is available on the immunotoxic responses of fish to BPA. In this study, we investigated the effects of BPA on the immune functions of lymphocytes and macrophages in Carassius auratus. The effects of BPA were compared with those of two natural steroid hormones, estradiol and hydrocortisone. Proliferation of the two types of cells in response to PHA was measured using colorimetric MTT assay. Macrophage respiratory burst stimulated by Con A was measured using chemiluminescence assay. Results showed that BPA （0.054-5.4 mg/L）, estradiol （0.0002-2.0 mg/L） and hydrocortisone （5-50 mg/L） significantly induced Carassius auratus lymphocyte proliferation while higher doses of hydrocortisone （500-5000 mg/L） appeared to be inhibitory. BPA （0.005-50 mg/L）, estradiol （0.005-800 mg/L） and hydrocortisone （0.005-500 mg/L） markedly enhanced macrophage proliferation, whereas higher doses of BPA （500-1000 mg/L） appeared to inhibit cell proliferation. Furthermore, higher dosage of BPA （50 mg/L） and hydrocortisone （50 and 500 mg/L） suppressed the macrophages respiratory burst while estradiol is stimulative all the doses tested （0.05-500 mg/L）. In conclusion, BPA could have immunotoxicity to Carassius auratus and functional changes of lymphocyte and macrophage in Carassius auratus may be different between low and high dosages.     

Application of environmental risk assessment for strategic decision-making in coastal areas: case studies in China

Environmental risk assessment (ERA) is a powerful technical tool for analyzing potential and extreme adverse environmental impacts, and has found wide application in supporting decision-making processes over the last two decades. However, to date there has been no interrelated application of ERA to support the processes of strategic decision-making (SDM), especially in coastal areas.

In this paper, we attempt to verify the feasibility of the proposed integrated ERA–SDM approach and its methodology by applying it to two case studies (in Xiamen Bay and Luoyuan Bay) of the principal coastal functional zoning (PCFZ, a kind of SDM and similar to the coastal and marine spatial planning in western). The results show that the integrated ERA–SDM approach could integrate ERA into the entire SDM process, directly support the PCFZ, and avoid or mitigate dire environmental risk that can be introduced by SDM processes.     

Don’t Fight the Site: Three Geomorphic Considerations in Catchment-Scale River Rehabilitation Planning

Three geomorphic considerations that underpin the design and implementation of realistic and strategic river conservation and rehabilitation programs that work with the nature are outlined. First, the importance of appreciating the inherent diversity of river forms and processes is discussed. Second, river dynamics are appraised, framing the contemporary behavioral regime of a reach in relation to system evolution to explain changes to river character and behavior over time. Third, the trajectory of a reach is framed in relation to downstream patterns of river types, analyzing landscape connectivity at the catchment scale to interpret geomorphic river recovery potential. The application of these principles is demonstrated using extensive catchment-scale analyses of geomorphic river responses to human disturbance in the Bega and Upper Hunter catchments in southeastern Australia. Differing implications for reach- and catchment-scale rehabilitation planning prompt the imperative that management practices work with nature rather than strive to ‘fight the site.’     

Octanol–air partition coefficients of polybrominated biphenyls

The octanol–air partition coefficients (K_OA) for PBB15, PBB26, PBB31, PBB49, PBB103 and PBB153 were determined as a function of temperature using a gas chromatographic retention time technique with 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis (4-chlorophenyl) ethane (p,p′-DDT) as a reference substance. The internal energies of phase change from octanol to air (Δ_OAU) were calculated for the six compounds and were in the range from 74 to 116 kJ mol⁻¹. Simple regression equations of log K_OA versus relative retention times (RRTs) on gas chromatography (GC), and log K_OA versus molecular connectivity indexes (MCI) were obtained, for which the correlation coefficients (r²) were greater than 0.985 at 283.15 K and 298.15 K. Thus the K_OA values of the remaining PBBs can be predicted by using their RRTs and MCI according to these relationships.     

From land cover change to land function dynamics: a major challenge to improve land characterization

Land cover change has always had a central role in land change science. This central role is largely the result of the possibilities to map and characterize land cover based on observations and remote sensing. This paper argues that more attention should be given to land use and land functions and linkages between these. Consideration of land functions that provide a wide range of goods and services makes more integrated assessments of land change possible. The increasing attention to multifunctional land use is another incentive to develop methods to assess changes in land functions. A number of methods to quantify and map the spatial extent of land use and land functions are discussed and the implications for modeling are identified based on recent model approaches in land change science. The mixed use of land cover, land use and land function in maps and models leads to inconsistencies in land change assessments. Explicit attention to the non-linear relations between land cover, land use and land function is essential to consistently address land change. New methods to map and quantify land function dynamics will enhance our ability to understand and model land system change and adequately inform policies and planning.     

环境因素对原生动物群落特征的影响

1999年12月至2000年11月,对华中科技大学华瑜池的原生动物群落进行了研究,共检出原生动物125种,其中植鞭毛虫19种,动鞭毛虫28种,纤毛虫64种,肉足虫14种,对原生动物群落结构和功能的研究表明：1）自然条件下,PFU原生动物群落的种类组成数及原生动物群落的群集速度相对稳定;2）自然条件下,PFU原生动物群落结构和功能不受季节变化的影响;3）当PFU原和动物群落受到外界胁迫时,不管这种胁迫来自物化因素或是生物因素,其群落结构和功能都会发生破坏性变化;4）用PFU法进行原生动物群落生态学和毒理学研究,所得的结构参数及功能参数能反映客观状况,具有环境现实意义。     

一个新的拓扑指数用于芳烃化合物溶解度、分配系数及生物毒性的研究

在分子拓扑理论的基础上,提出了一个新的拓扑指数Yx,并用Yx研究了芳烃化合物的溶解度、分配系数及生物毒(活）性,给出了相关方程。结果表明,新方法计算方便,物理意义明确,预测值与相应的实验值较吻合。