Importance of Habitat Quality and Landscape Connectivity for the Persistence of Endangered Natterjack Toads

Abstract: The natterjack toad (Bufo calamita) is endangered in several parts of its distribution, including Belgium, where it occurs mainly in artificial habitats. We parameterized a general model for natterjack population viability analysis (PVA) and tested its sensitivity to changes in the values of basic parameters. Then we assessed the relative efficiency of various conservation measures in 2 situations: a small isolated population and a system of 4 populations connected by rare dispersal movements. We based the population viability analysis on a stage‐structured model of natterjack population dynamics. We parameterized the model in the RAMAS GIS platform with vital rates obtained from our own field experience and from published studies. Simulated natterjack populations were highly sensitive to habitat quality (particularly pond drying), to dispersal from surrounding local populations, and to a lesser extent to values of fecundity and survival of terrestrial stages. Population trajectories were nearly insensitive to initial abundances, carrying capacities, and the frequency of extreme climatic conditions. The simulations showed that in habitats with highly ephemeral ponds, where premetamorphosis mortality was high, natterjack populations nearly always had a very high extinction risk. We also illustrated how low dispersal rates (<1 dispersing individual/generation) efficiently rescued declining local populations. Such source‐sink dynamics demonstrate that the identification and management of source populations should be a high priority.     

The Future of Scattered Trees in Agricultural Landscapes

Abstract: Mature trees scattered throughout agricultural landscapes are critical habitat for some biota and provide a range of ecosystem services. These trees are declining in intensively managed agricultural landscapes globally. We developed a simulation model to predict the rates at which these trees are declining, identified the key variables that can be manipulated to mitigate this decline, and compared alternative management proposals. We used the initial numbers of trees in the stand, the predicted ages of these trees, their rate of growth, the number of recruits established, the frequency of recruitment, and the rate of tree mortality to simulate the dynamics of scattered trees in agricultural landscapes. We applied this simulation model to case studies from Spain, United States, Australia, and Costa Rica. We predicted that mature trees would be lost from these landscapes in 90–180 years under current management. Existing management recommendations for these landscapes—which focus on increasing recruitment—would not reverse this trend. The loss of scattered mature trees was most sensitive to tree mortality, stand age, number of recruits, and frequency of recruitment. We predicted that perpetuating mature trees in agricultural landscapes at or above existing densities requires a strategy that keeps mortality among established trees below around 0.5% per year, recruits new trees at a rate that is higher than the number of existing trees, and recruits new trees at a frequency in years equivalent to around 15% of the maximum life expectancy of trees. Numbers of mature trees in landscapes represented by the case studies will decline before they increase, even if strategies of this type are implemented immediately. This decline will be greater if a management response is delayed.     

Forest growth in the light of the thermodynamic theory of ecological systems

The observed growth of a particular forest stand can be described by many models and explained by some of them. The forest growth models are also successfully applied for extrapolating the growth curve. However, the known models of forest growth are not “one-point” models. They are not designed to predict the future growth of a forest stand from its current state: the model parameters either are not directly measurable or cannot be measured with relevant accuracy. This article is an attempt to use Jørgensen–Svirezhev theory as a new clue to the choice of variables that determines forest growth. The postulates of this theory combined with the pipe theory of tree growth lead to conclusion that biomass of a stand should be proportional to the four-fifths power of its age. Empirical validation, however, disclosed that calendar age is rather approximate measure of ecosystem ontogeny. Delayed development or intensive thinning of a forest stand at the early stages leads to rejuvenation bias. Thus derived 4/5-law model approximates well-known Chapman–Richards model in the neighborhood of the inflection point, and is applicable to middle-aged forest stands.     

黄土高原土壤景观格局特征分析

在地理信息系统支持下,选择多种景观格局指数,从斑块面积、斑块数、斑块周长和多样性的角度对黄土高原地区土壤景观进行了格局特征分析。结果表明,黄土高原地区土壤景观斑块数、面积和周长分布均极不均衡,土壤景观多样性指数较低,反映出黄土高原地区土壤景观破碎化程度较高。     

城市滨水区的生态恢复研究

城市滨水区的生态恢复具有着重要的生态、经济和社会意义。通过探讨和分析城市滨水区生态恢复的基础理论和主要内容,综述了国内外城市滨水区生态恢复的研究现状,指出我国为做好城市滨水区生态恢复工作尚需加强滨水区生态恢复的基础理论、关键技术、景观生态学的应用和示范推广等方面的研究,以滨水区的生态恢复带动开发,保证城市的可持续发展。     

基于GIS的厦门市沿海岸线景观生态规划

根据景观生态学的基本原理和方法,运用GIS技术与因子加权叠加法,对厦门市沿海岸线进行了多目标的景观生态适宜性分析,并依据城市发展规划对沿海岸线及近岸海域的发展要求,提出厦门市沿海岸线及近岸海域的景观生态规划方案。该方案为促进厦门市经济发展和生态环境保护,创建“海湾型生态城市”提供了科学依据,并对我国城市沿海岸线的生态规划具有一定的参考意义。     

资源学的学科属性及定位问题讨论

资源学属于应用理学,以地球科学、生物学、天文学为其学科理论基础。资源学、环境学、生态学是同一层次的学科。资源经济学建立在资源学和理论经济学基础之上。     

系统动力学复杂性及其在海洋生态学中的研究进展

海洋生态系统具有开放性、耗散性和非线性等特点,可以借助于系统动力学方法对其研究.系统动力学研究一个不可回避的问题就是系统动力学复杂性.本文在简单介绍几种常见的系统动力学模型及其复杂性问题的基础上,系统阐述了当前系统动力学复杂性在海洋生物多样性的维持、海洋生态系统的物质循环、海洋生物群落结构稳定性、有害藻类的暴发、海洋污染物的扩散、海洋生态毒理动力学、海洋生物资源的开发与管理等方面的应用、研究进展及相关问题.在总结以上研究进展的基础上,本文对系统动力学复杂性在海洋生态学研究中的应用进行了展望.     

城镇景观水体水质控制技术分析

本文针对上海城镇小型景观水体水质污染特征,分析了充氧曝气、人工湿地、曝气生物滤池等工艺技术在小型景观水体水质净化中的应用,提出各种小型景观水体水质控制技术的特点和适用范围,为2010年上海世博会园区内景观水体水质控制方法提供参考,也为其他小型景观水体的建设和运行提供借鉴。     

永定河(北京段)水资源、水环境的变迁及流域社会经济发展对其影响

考察了官厅水库和永定河（北京段）1954—2008年水资源及1980—2005年水环境的变迁,并通过Pearson相关分析探讨了流域社会经济发展对永定河（北京段）水资源和水环境的影响.研究结果表明,①官厅水库建成后近50年来水量和出库水量均大幅衰减,例如,官厅水库来水量从1959年的25.56亿m3锐减至2008年的0...