Exploring community assembly through an individual-based model for trophic interactions

Traditionally, the dynamics of community assembly has been analyzed by means of deterministic models of differential equations. Despite the theoretical advances provided by such models, they are restricted to questions about community-wide features. The individual-based modeling offers an opportunity to link bionomic features to patterns at the community scale, allowing us to understand how trait-based assembly rules can arise by dynamical processes. The present paper introduces an individual-based model of community assembly, and discusses some of the major advantages and drawbacks of this approach. The model was framed to deal with predation among size-structured populations, incorporating allometric constraints to energetic requirements, movement, life-history features and interaction relationships among individuals. A protocol of assembly procedure is proposed, in which a period of intense species introductions is followed by a period without introductions. The resultant communities did not present any pattern of trait over-dispersion, meaning that the multivariate distances of bionomic features among co-occurring species were neither larger nor more regular than expected in a random collection of species. It suggests a weak influence of interspecific interactions in the model environment and individualistic rules of coexistence, driven mainly by the spatial structure. This highlights that trait over-dispersion and resource partitioning should not be considered a necessary condition for coexistence, even in communities entirely structured by internal processes like predation and competition.     

我国自然保护区生态旅游存在问题分析

通过对2006年自然保护区建设管理基本情况调查和2008年自然保护区生态旅游专项问卷调查得到的数据进行分析,立足我国自然保护区生态旅游发展现状,从自然保护区生态旅游涉及的宏观决策管理,保护区管理机构,保护区与社区、旅游经营者、游客、生态环境的关系6个方面,系统地分析目前我国自然保护区生态旅游存在问题,并提出相应对策.     

湘江大源渡枢纽底泥中镉、铅的污染特征及其潜在生态风险评价

为研究湘江大源渡枢纽底泥中Cd、Pb的污染特征及其生态风险,采集6个断面的18个底泥样品,测定了沉积物中Cd、Pb的总量、化学形态及其生物有效性,并利用地积累指数法和单因子指数法评价其污染程度与等级.结果表明,湘江大源渡枢纽底泥中Cd、Pb存在很强的积累现象,尤其是Cd污染特别严重.各采样点底泥中Cd主要以碳酸盐结合态...     

Development and application of a comprehensive ecological risk assessment indicator system in Xiamen,China

Urban ecological risk is one of the important factors that may restrict the social and economic development. Therefore, it is of great significance to carry out a comprehensive assessment of ecological risks so that an ecological risk prevention and control plan can be scientifically formulated. In this paper, a comprehensive ecological risk assessment indicator system of Xiamen was established based on local ecological properties and socioeconomic status. This indicator system covers seven indicators including air pollution, soil pollution, water pollution, fresh water consumption, change in land use, occupation of key zones with ecological functions, and road network expansion. Based on this indicator system and in conjunction with the single factor assessment of ecological risks, this study constructed a model of comprehensive ecological risk assessment and forecasted the comprehensive ecological risk of Xiamen in 2020. The results showed that the comprehensive ecological risk level of Xiamen in 2020 is medium and the main stressors are the discharge of air and water pollutants. From the perspective of risk receptors, i.e. the ecosystem services, the risk posed to the ecosystem services associated to the maintenance of air quality and water purification is the highest. Therefore, this study proposed the recommendations on ecological risk prevention and regulation in Xiamen based on the comprehensive assessment of ecological risks, in the hope to provide scientific support for local ecological protection and sustainable development.     

Ecological literacy and psychographics: lifestyle contributors to ecological knowledge and understanding

Knowledge and understanding about how the ecological systems of the Earth support life form the foundation for ecological literacy, which, in turn, is of critical importance for sustainability. There is widespread concern that levels of ecological literacy within many contemporary human societies are too low to enable effective decision-making about how to live sustainably. This paper presents and discusses the findings of an ecological literacy assessment of South Australian adults. The assessment tested for knowledge and understanding of ecological systems and interconnections with human society. Analyses revealed significant relationships between assessment scores and a range of value-based and behavioural characteristics. Such characteristics included the value placed on nature, time spent outdoors and in nature, involvement in nature-based activities, and perceived sources of ecological knowledge and understanding. Higher average scores were correlated with higher values accorded to involvement in outdoor activities, importance of the outdoors to enjoyment of life, importance of nature in the household, volunteer environmental activity and growing food. Higher scores were also correlated with higher education, research activities, outdoor lifestyles, place-based experiences, volunteer activities, mentors and colleagues, and books and magazines. Lower scores were achieved by those who considered media, natural disasters and environmental marketing to be major contributors to their ecological knowledge. These findings contribute to a broader study of the relationships between ecological literacy and a range of both socio-demographic and psychographic characteristics. They invite serious consideration from any society that values the participation of an informed population with the capacity to make sustainable environmental decisions.     

腹足纲动物毒性测试候选物种的研究

随着对内分泌干扰物在腹足纲动物中危害性的关注,软体动物污染生态问题逐渐受到重视.基于该研究方向现有进展,就几种典型腹足纲动物作为化学品测试受试生物的候选物种进行了论述,认为4种前鳃亚纲生物(新西兰泥蜗、鱼盘螺、福寿螺和铜锈环棱螺)和1种肺螺亚纲生物(静水椎实螺)具有生态意义,可以作为标准受试生物来发展.相对于其他国外学者提议的4种生物,我国学者提议的铜锈环棱螺具有本土意义,在化学品毒性测试过程中应该受到重视.在以上论述基础上,对腹足纲动物毒性测试今后研究的发展方向进行了展望.     

An ecological risk assessment model for a pulsed contaminant emission into a wetland channel flow

As a continuation of the modelling on ecological degradation and hydraulic dispersion of pollutant emission into an idealized two-dimensional free-surface wetland flow (Zeng, L., Chen, G.Q., 2009b. Ecological degradation and hydraulic dispersion of contaminant in wetland. Ecol. Model., doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2009.10.024), an ecological risk assessment model for the typical case of a pulsed contaminant emission into a realistic three-dimensional wetland channel flow is presented in this paper for the fate of cross-sectional mean concentration under environmental dispersion. An environmental dispersion model for the mean concentration is devised as an extension of Taylor’s classical analysis on dispersion in fluid flows. The velocity distribution and the environmental dispersivity in the fully developed steady flow through the wetland is found and illustrated with limiting cases covering various known solutions for the porous media flow between parallel plates, flow in a shallow wetland, sweeping flow in a densely vegetated wetland, and single phase flow in a channel. Obtained by Aris’s method of moments, the environmental dispersivity is shown characterized with multi-scale asymptotic time variations with stem dominated stage, transitional stage, and width-depth-stem dominated stage. Based on the solution for the evolution of contaminant cloud in the wetland channel flow, critical length and duration of the contaminant cloud with concentration beyond given environmental standard level are concretely illustrated for typical pollutant constituents in wastewater emission. Under the same emission intensity and environmental standard, the duration of contaminant cloud in the wetland channel is revealed shorter than that in a free surface wetland, due to the lateral effect.     

巨枝人工林灌木层优势种的种间联结性分析

种间联结的研究对于人工林群落的生物多样性保育和可持续经营与管理具有重要的意义,目前对巨桉人工林灌木层物种之间的作用关系知之甚少。根据野外60个样方的调查数据,运用x^2检验、Jaccard指数和Spearman秩相关系数研究了巨桉（Eucalyptusgrandis）人工林灌木层18个优势种的种间关联和相关关系。结果表明,灌木层优势种具有总体上的正联结性,但在153个种对中,具有显著正联结性的种对数约占总种对数的10％,绝大数种对表现为弱联结性或无联结性,种间关系较为松散,表明巨桉林下灌木种群具有相对独立分布的特性。研究种间关系时,种间关联结合种间相关得出的结果较好。根据分析结果将18个优势种划分为4个生态种组,生态种组内的种其资源利用方式和生态要求相似,而组间表现出明显的差异。生态种组的划分能为巨桉人工林林下灌木层的管理提供理论依据。     

富阳市昌东村生态农业建设

对昌东村生态农业建设和自然资源保护情况进行了总结,并对其取得的成效进行了分析。结果表明,生态村建设是农村经济可持续发展必由之路,昌东经验对亚热带丘陵地区发展农村经济有一定指导意义。     

《昆明-蒙特利尔全球生物多样性框架》下的生物多样性监测

生物多样性监测是执行和评估《昆明-蒙特利尔全球生物多样性保护框架》（简称《昆-蒙框架》）长期目标和行动指标所需要的关键数据的主要来源。简要介绍了《昆-蒙框架》下的全球生物多样性观测网络（The global biodiversity observation network,GEO BON）概况、中国已有的生物多样性监测/观测网络,构建全球生物多样性观测系统（A global biodiversity observation system,GBiOS）的目的和核心监测指标,分析了生物多样性监测网络建设的一般步骤和GEO BON建议的4种生物多样性监测新方法。提出,地理空间单元与生物类群的全覆盖监测是建设生物多样性监测网络的主要目标,传统监测方法和新监测技术的互补是当前生物多样性监测的重点工作内容。