Survival and productivity benefits to social nesting in the sweat bee <Emphasis Type="Italic">Megalopta genalis</Emphasis> (Hymenoptera: Halictidae)

Facultatively solitary and eusocial species allow for direct tests of the benefits of group living. We used the facultatively social sweat bee Megalopta genalis to test several benefits of group living. We surveyed natural nests modified for observation in the field weekly for 5 weeks in 2003. First, we demonstrate that social and solitary nesting are alternative behaviors, rather than different points on one developmental trajectory. Next, we show that solitary nests suffered significantly higher rates of nest failure than did social nests. Nest failure apparently resulted from solitary foundress mortality and subsequent brood orphanage. Social nests had significantly higher productivity, measured as new brood cells provisioned during the study, than did solitary nests. After accounting for nest failures, per capita productivity did not change with group size. Our results support key predictions of Assured Fitness Return models, suggesting such indirect fitness benefits favor eusocial nesting in M. genalis. We compared field collections of natural nests to our observation nest data to show that without accounting for nest failures, M. genalis appear to suffer a per capita productivity decrease with increasing group size. Calculating per capita productivity from collected nests without accounting for the differential probabilities of survival across group sizes leads to an overestimate of solitary nest productivity.     

POLLUTION THREATS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA: AN OVERVIEW

This overview summarises the present knowledge on major sources of pollution, which are of concern for the Mediterranean Sea. Eutrophication, red tides, organic loads, hydrocarbon spills, heavy metal contamination and their biological effects are described on the light of the ecological characteristics of the Mediterranean. In particular special attention is paid to the "new pollution" processes; i.e. , the introduction of novel substances with biological activity that might have synergetic effects with "classical pollutants". Different compartments and marine ecosystems are considered and compared. The degree of anthropogenic impact and its apparent trends are discussed. Possible monitoring plans and remedial actions for a sustainable management of coastal zones subjected to increasing pollution are also suggested.     

丽水小盆地型城市酸雨现状及成因分析

根据浙江省丽水市 1 986— 2 0 0 2年酸雨监测数据 ,对该市酸雨污染的现状特征及成因进行了分析。结果表明 ,丽水市酸雨污染严重 ,并呈逐年加重的趋势。冬、春季酸雨率高 ,降水 pH值低 ;降水的主要离子SO42 -与NO-3比值逐年下降 ,说明大气污染有从煤烟型转为煤烟型与机动车尾气混合型的趋势 ;煤耗量、地型地貌特点、低空逆温层频率、地面弱风频率对酸雨率和降水 pH值有明显的影响。     

扬州市生态旅游发展战略的研究

分析扬州市旅游业发展的优势和劣势，论述并评价扬州市主要的生态旅游资源，进行扬州市生态旅游发展的功能分区与项目策划，提出实施扬州市生态旅游发展战略的对策及措施。     

Impact of canal development on intertidal microalgal productivity: Comparative assessment of Patterson Lakes and Ralphs Bay,South East Australia

We assessed the potential impact of a proposed canal development in an estuarine sandflat at Ralphs Bay, Tasmania on intertidal microalgal productivity and species composition, by comparing it over summer and winter seasons with a well- established (30 year old) canal estate at Patterson Lakes, Victoria. Pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) fluorometry was used to generate a relative measure of photosynthetic performance, which combined with microalgal chlorophyll biomass and irradiance provides an assessment of potential primary productivity. We present a sophisticated mathematical model for calculating benthic microalgal production and the contribution to total primary production, taking into account sediment light attenuation as estimated from sediment grain size. Ralphs Bay had a total productive microalgal biomass of 44 mg chlorophyll a m⁻² which was six times higher than Patterson Lakes, while the relative productivity of Ralphs Bay was four times greater compared to Patterson Lakes where productivity was virtually absent in the subtidal zone of the canal waterway. Ralphs Bay exhibited a more or less homogeneous spatial distribution of microphytobenthos biomass but this was subject to some seasonal variation in species composition, abundance and productivity. By contrast, at Patterson Lakes biomass distribution, diversity and productivity was highly spatially variable in the canal system in both seasons. Patterson Lakes exhibited 60% lower microphytobenthos species richness than Ralphs Bay but little variation in species composition occurred between seasons in the canal estate. This suggests that the dominant diatom species in Patterson Lakes, Pinnularia yarrensis, Gyrosigma balticum and Pleurosigma salinarum, are well adapted to the disturbance regime within the canal estate. The proposed canal development at Ralphs Bay is estimated to cause a decrease in microalgal productivity by both reducing available marine substrate (66% reduction) and replacing productive intertidal phytobenthic habitat with nonproductive canal substrate. These combine to cause a decline in productivity of 92% with significant flow-on effects predicted for higher trophic levels such as migratory wading birds.     

成都市大气中臭氧的分布及污染水平

根据2001年6月成都市建成区大气O3监测结果，对其在该时段大气中O3的分布现状、污染水平、污染特征进行分析，揭示了成都市大气环境中O3的时空分布规律以及O3的浓度受天气状况的影响规律。     

芜湖市郊土壤污染对土壤动物群落结构的影响

研究表明，芜湖市郊农田土壤动物群落的组成与数量随污染程度的加重而减少，土壤动物密度也呈同样的变化趋势，特别是中小型土壤动物，优势类群数量发生较大消长，常见类群和稀有类群的组成逐渐减少．多样性指数H与重金属污染程度之间关系因受到季节的影响而变得复杂：冬季和初夏污染较重样地优势类群数量减少，群落均匀性指数E增加而优势度指数C减小，多样性指数H较高；而春季处于过渡阶段，某些类群(如螨类)数量爆发，C增高，H较小．土壤动物群落密度一类群指数DG随污染加重而减小．受到重金属污染的农田土壤动物的表聚性减弱，甚至出现逆分布现象．图1表4参15     

安全在矿区可持续发展体系中的地位

以矿区可持续发展指标体系为对象,通过对大量的调查统计数据的分类统计排序分析以及模糊聚类分析等,探讨了人们对安全在矿区可持续发展体系中的地位的认识问题,并得出一个重要子集作为矿区可持续发展的重要环节     

平顶山市工业可持续发展途径探讨

工业的发展既要最大限度地满足人们物质与文化生活的需要,又要创造人类与自然之间和谐的生产与生活环境。从可持续发展的角度出发,分析了平顶山这一典型资源型城市工业发展的条件和现,针长期以高耗资源和粗放经 特征的发展模式,提出了其工业可持发展 途径,实现结构合理化及优化投资环境;建立资源节约型,在环境质量和资源基础上都可以长期承受的新型工业发展模式。