Elk decision-making rules are simplified in the presence of wolves

The risk of predation drives many behavioral responses in prey. However, few studies have directly tested whether predation risk alters the way other variables influence prey behavior. Here we use information theory (Akaike’s Information Criterion, AICc) in a novel way to test the hypothesis that the decision-making rules governing elk behavior are simplified by the presence of wolves. With elk habitat use as the dependent variable, we test whether the number of independent variables (i.e., the size of the models) that best predict this behavior differ when wolves are present vs absent. Thus, we use AICc scores simply to determine the number of variables to which elk respond when making decisions. We measured habitat use using 2,288 locations from GPS collars on 14 elk, over two winters (14 elk winters), in the Gallatin Canyon portion of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. We found that the use of three major habitat components (grass, conifer, sage) was sensitive to many variables on days that wolves were locally absent, with the best models (ΔAICc≤2) averaging 7.4 parameters. In contrast, habitat use was sensitive to few variables on days when wolves were present: the best models averaged only 2.5 parameters. Because fewer variables affect elk behavior in the presence of wolves, we conclude that elk use simpler decision-making rules in the presence of wolves. This simplification of decision-making rules implies that predation risk imposes selection pressures that do not allow prey to respond to other pressures in ways that they otherwise would. If the affected processes are important, then this indirect effect of predation is likely to be important.     

Studying crop sequences with CarrotAge,a HMM-based data mining software

We have developed a knowledge discovery system based on high-order hidden Markov models for analyzing spatio-temporal data bases. This system, named CarrotAge , takes as input an array of discrete data – the rows represent the spatial sites and the columns the time slots – and builds a partition together with its a posteriori probability. CarrotAge has been developed for studying the cropping patterns of a territory. It uses therefore an agricultural drench database, named Ter-Uti , which records every year the land-use category of a set of sites regularly spaced. The results of CarrotAge are interpreted by agronomists and used in research works linking agricultural land use and water management. Moreover, CarrotAge can be used to find out and study crop sequences in large territories, that is a main question for agricultural and environmental research, as discussed in this paper.     

松嫩平原西部不同土地覆被水盐动态对比研究

通过对6种土地覆被2003年6～10月水盐时空动态进行分析，对比不同土地覆被水盐动态变化差异，结果发现：采样期内，不同土地覆被(碱斑地除外)0-120cm剖面含水量均出现明显峰值，大豆地和羊草草地在7月底出现峰值，玉米地和向日葵地在8月初，退化草地则在8月底才达到，比羊草草地滞后了一个月。除羊草草地外，其他土地覆被剖面含水量变化呈W型，只是波动幅度各不相同。采样期内，羊草草地剖面含水量的相对变率最大，为74％，其他依次为退化草地、大豆地、向日葵地、玉米地，碱斑地最低，仅为6．4％。相对于农田土地覆被，在0～40cm，羊草草地、退化草地和碱斑地随盐渍化程度的加重，含盐量剖面变异逐渐减小，而农田的三种土地覆被之间变异比较接近。整个采样期，向日葵地储盐量随时间的变化呈下降趋势，其他土地覆被波动变化一致，都经历了下降-上升-下降过程，但波动幅度不同，且羊草草地在7月7日出现上升，其他4种土地覆被在9月8日开始出现滞后于含水量的变化。相对于采样初期，不同土地覆被含盐量的相对变率均为负值，农田的下降幅度大，草地次之，碱斑地最小。协方差分析表明：95％置信度下，土地覆被、土壤剖面和两者的交互作用对含盐量的影响差异显著。     

污水土地处理磷污染物迁移转化模拟讨论分析

根据磷在土壤中的迁移转化机理，进行了以土柱试验为基础的“污水土地处理条件下磷的迁移转化模拟试验”，总结了污水中的磷在土壤中迁移转化的规律，提出了定量模拟这一规律的迁移转化联合模型。联合模型为研究磷在土壤中的运动提供了定量化依据，避免了已有研究中将迁移和转化割裂研究造成的误差，丰富并完善了不同形态磷的迁移转化模型。     

黄土高原沟坡地土地生产力评价的指标体系与评价方法

通过对渭北黄土高原地区沟坡地土壤理化性质的分析和对当地社会经济状况的调查研究,应用层次分析法对沟坡地土地自然生产力和现实生产力进行了分析和评价.在分析过程中,把当地主要造林树种根系垂直分布特征及其根系抗旱性特性纳入了分析评价体系.结果表明,嘴头村和西坡村不同树种沟坡地上刺槐(Robinia pseudoacacia)的自然生产力属于中等稍微偏上水平,而山杏(Prunus armeniacia var. ansu)、油松(Pinus tabulaeformis)和侧柏(Platycladus orientalis)的自然生产力水平则较低.两地沟坡地上的现实生产力计算结果则证明刺槐和山杏两个树种表现出了较高的水平,具有较好的发展前途;而油松和侧柏的现实生产力水平则较低,其发展推广受到了限制.群众对沟坡开发治理的态度和对开发方案的认可对沟坡开发的成功起到了重要作用.     

Individual dispersal status influences space use of conspecific residents in the common lizard, Lacerta vivipara

The effects of immigration on the behaviour of residents may have important implications for the local population characteristics. A manipulative laboratory experiment with yearlings of the common lizard (Lacerta vivipara) was performed to test whether the introduction of dispersing or philopatric individuals influences the short-term spacing behaviour of resident individuals. Staged encounters were carried out to induce interactions within dyads. The home cage of each responding individual was connected by a corridor to an unfamiliar “arrival cage” to measure the latency to leave their own home cage after each encounter. Our results showed that the time that pairs spent in close proximity was longer when a dispersing individual was introduced in the home cage. The latency to leave the home cage was longer after the introduction of a dispersing individual. These response variables were not influenced by the relative body sizes of contestants nor by the level of aggression towards each other. In contrast, the aggressive response was significantly influenced by the residency asymmetry established experimentally (“owner” of the home cage vs introduced individual). Our results suggest that the space use by resident individuals is influenced by the dispersal status of conspecifics. The potential ultimate causes driving this effect are discussed.     

Statistical inference on patch-specific survival and movement rates from marked animals

Empirical estimates of patch-specific survival and movement rates are needed to parametrize spatially explicit population models, and for inference on the effects of habitat quality and fragmentation on populations. Data from radio-marked animals, in which both the fates and habitat locations of animals are known over time, can be used in conjunction with continuous-time proportional hazards models to obtain inferences on survival rates. Discrete-time conditional logistic models may provide inference on both survival and movement rates. We use Monte Carlo simulation to investigate accuracy of estimates of survival from both approaches, and movement rates from conditional logistic regression, for two habitats. Bias was low (relative bias < 0.04) and interval coverage accurate (close to the nominal 0.95) for estimates of habitat effect on survival based on proportional hazards. Bias was high ( relative bias 0.60) and interval coverage poor ( = 0.26 vs. nominal 0.95) for estimates of habitat effect based on conditional logistic regression; bias was especially influenced by heterogeneity in survival and the shape of the hazard function, whereas both bias and coverage were affected by ‘memory’ effects in movement patterns. Bias estimates of movement rate was low ( relative bias < 0.05), but interval coverage was poor ( = 0.48–0.80), possibly as a result of poor performance of a Taylor series estimate of variance. An example is provided from a radio-telemetry study of 47 wintering American woodcock (Scolopax minor), illustrating practical difficulties in field studies to parametrize these models. We also discuss extensions of continuous-time models to explicitly include a movement process, and further examine tradeoffs between continuous and discrete models.     

红壤坡地不同土地利用类型地表产流特征

在自然降水条件下,连续8 a对红壤丘陵坡地6种不同利用方式下的地表径流进行观测分析.结果表明,自然恢复保护能显著减少地表径流量,不同土地利用类型间地表径流量存在显著差异,其大小依次为:农作区＞甜柿区＞茶园区＞湿地松区＞干扰恢复区＞恢复区.各土地利用类型地表径流量存在明显的季节分布特征,产流主要发生于4-8月,降雨量和2.5～8.0 mm·h-1降雨强度是影响径流量的关键因素.恢复区和干扰恢复区呈现良好的水土保持效应,累积径流量增长缓慢;纯林生态系统水土保持效应与林木种类密切相关;农耕地由于土壤扰动大,水土流失严重,累积径流量增长迅速.必须通过构建合理的农林复合生态系统以进一步防治南方地区的水土流失.     

广州市东部地区土地资源承载力研究

应用土地遥感解译图，对广州市东部地区的土地利用现状进行分析；并根据广州总体发展战略规划，进行了东部地区土地资源承载力研究。结果表明，如果2020年广州市东部地区耕地保有面积达到基本农田保护区面积。则城市发展所需的土地资源可以满足规划要求。城市发展建设应先占用那些质量较差的农用地。     

Portuguese coastal zones and the new coastal management plans

Coastal zones in Portugal, as interface areas between land and sea, have problems related to the growing human pressure in terms of changes in land use associated with urban and industrial occupation, new accessibility (ports, motorways) and traffic flows, intensification of recreational use (beaches, water sports) and excessive fishing. Impacts include deterioration of water quality and sediments; alteration and degradation of natural habitats; new hydrodynamic situations; major landscape changes: and rapid changes in habits and way of life of the local populations and increased exposure of populations and assets to natural and induced risks (storms, accidents, spills, explosions). Plans for the Management of the Coastal Zone (POOC) have been developed and seven of them have been approved, while two similar plans are at a final stage of preparation. Together they cover the entire coast of Portugal. Their implementation and assessment could be a first step towards an integrated management of the Portuguese coastal zones. River Basin Management Plans (PBH) have been concluded and recently approved for the whole country. However, these plans do not consider estuarine systems and some other issues related to coastal systems. The National Water Plan (PNA) is under public presentation and discussion. Several ‘key messages’ are presented in this paper as a contribution for assessment of the proposals of this plan on issues related with coastal waters.