Ecological and Social Outcomes of a New Protected Area in Tanzania

Balancing ecological and social outcomes of conservation actions is recognized in global conservation policy but is challenging in practice. Compensation to land owners or users for foregone assets has been proposed by economists as an efficient way to mitigate negative social impacts of human displacement from protected areas. Joint empirical assessments of the conservation and social impacts of protected area establishment involving compensation payments are scarce. We synthesized social and biological studies related to the establishment of the Derema forest corridor in Tanzania's biodiverse East Usambara Mountains. This lengthy conservation process involved the appropriation of approximately 960 ha of native canopy agroforest and steep slopes for the corridor and monetary compensation to more than 1100 claimants in the surrounding villages. The overarching goals from the outset were to conserve ecological processes while doing no harm to the local communities. We evaluated whether these goals were achieved by analyzing 3 indicators of success: enhancement of forest connectivity, improvement of forest condition, and mitigation of negative impacts on local people's livelihoods. Indicators of forest connectivity and conditions were enhanced through reductions of forest loss and exotic species and increases in native species and canopy closure. Despite great efforts by national and international organizations, the intervention failed to mitigate livelihood losses especially among the poorest people. The Derema case illustrates the challenges of designing and implementing compensation schemes for conservation‐related displacement of people. Resultados Ecológicos y Sociales de un Área Protegida Nueva en Tanzania     

关于区域生物多样性保护研究的若干问题

区域生物多样性保护研究是一项基础性很强的应用研究,应为保护行动计划提供有理论依据的可操作性的保护措施和技术。在生态系统多样性、物种多样性和基因多样性的三个层次上,以物种多样性保护为核心,即以保护和调控生态系统的多样性,来保护与发展物种的多样性,并由此保护和保存生物遗传基因的多样性。同时,它也是一项社会性很强的实际研究,需要通过对代表性地区或优先重点地区的具体研究来实现。本文还提出了应研究的内容、应提交的成果和综述了需要在研究中思考、探讨和验证的理论问题,为区域生物多样性保护的研究提供了可参考的技术路线。     

湿地资源开发利用及生态功能恢复

采用生态环境现状调查方法，查清了辽河三角洲资源种类、数量、分布、物种多样性组成、生境条件。分析了生态系统整体性特点、结构、环境服务功能、湿地资源动态变化对生态环境影响。为保护生态功能，提出了有效的恢复性措施。     

城乡绿化工程中的生物多样性探讨

在城乡绿化工程中不注意生物多样性,会造成生长不良,绿化成本高,不能很好发挥生态功能等问题。应采用生态绿化方法-选择适应地域特点的多种绿化模式,上百种本乡的品质优良、具有生长优势的乔灌木、花、草品种进行绿化。     

A CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT OF CENTRAL AMERICAN VEGETATION AND ECOREGIONS

Acomprehensive,standardized,andthematicallyappropriatemapofCentralAmericanvegetationandlandcovertypeswasdevelopedbyclassifyingtheremotesensedimagery(AVHRR)1km²     

Allelopathic potential of Medicago arborea, a Mediterranean invasive shrub

Summary. Biological invasions are nowadays a major problem in ecology. Allelopathy has been shown to be involved in such invasions, but this mechanism has been little studied in France. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the allelopathic potential of Medicago arborea, an invasive species in the French Mediterranean region. Foliar extracts were tested on three target species (Lactuca sativa, Lepidium sativum and Linum strictum). We showed that Medicago arborea has high allelopathic potential to affect the growth and germination of other species. Yellow flax (Linum strictum), native to the invaded area, was the most sensitive of the tested plant species to foliar extracts of Medicago arborea. Our study pointed out the role of allelopathy in processes leading to biological invasion, and more generally in population dynamics.     

Effects of Cattle Grazing on Diversity in Ephemeral Wetlands

Abstract:  Cattle are usually thought of as a threat to biodiversity. In regions threatened by exotic species invasion and lacking native wild grazers, however, cattle may produce the type of disturbance that helps maintain diverse communities. Across 72 vernal pools, I examined the effect of different grazing treatments (ungrazed, continuously grazed, wet-season grazed and dry-season grazed) on vernal-pool plant and aquatic faunal diversity in the Central Valley of California. After 3 years of treatment, ungrazed pools had 88% higher cover of exotic annual grasses and 47% lower relative cover of native species than pools grazed at historical levels (continuously grazed). Species richness of native plants declined by 25% and aquatic invertebrate richness was 28% lower in the ungrazed compared with the continuously grazed treatments. Release from grazing reduced pool inundation period by 50 to 80%, making it difficult for some vernal-pool endemic species to complete their life cycle. My results show that one should not assume livestock and ranching operations are necessarily damaging to native communities. In my central California study site, grazing helped maintain native plant and aquatic diversity in vernal pools.     

生产力与生物多样性关系的研究进展

生产力和生物多样性是生态系统两个基本属性。然而,几十年来,人们一直在争论它们之间的相互关系及其潜在机制。论文综述过去有关两者关系的控制实验、meta分析、多点观测研究和潜在机制,发现两者关系主要表现为单峰关系、正相关关系、负相关关系、无关系、“U”型关系,并且关于它们关系的潜在机制也没有普遍共识。同时,两者关系及其潜在机制均对尺度具有很强依赖性。分析其原因,可能生产力与生物多样性的关系不是简单或直接因果关系,而是由相互关联的、多变量过程共同控制。因此,应放弃固定化二元模式,开展多元化驱动因素的生物多样性研究,加强人类对复杂生态系统过程的理解,提供更具意义的生物多样性保护和管理指导。     

基于高通量测序检测Pb污染对三叶草根际土壤细菌多样性的影响

为了研究Pb污染对根际土壤微生物多样性的影响,揭示根际微生物对Pb胁迫的适应性机制,通过盆栽试验模拟轻度[w（Pb）为300 mg/kg]、中度[w（Pb）为600 mg/kg]和重度[w（Pb）为900 mg/kg]Pb污染土壤环境,利用高通量测序技术和生物信息学分析方法,测定了不同w（Pb）处理下三叶草根际土壤中细菌群落的丰度和组成.结果表明:①共检测到37个门,其中变形菌门为优势菌群,占比为50.7%~53.9%,其次为拟杆菌门、酸杆菌门和疣微菌门. ②共检测到623个属,其中鞘氨醇单胞菌属为优势菌属,占比为17.1%~19.4%. ③中度Pb污染土壤样本中细菌的多样性最高,重度Pb污染土壤样本中的细菌数量最少,并且其群落组成与其他处理差异最大.研究显示,重度Pb污染会显著抑制三叶草根际土壤样本中细菌的生长,降低土壤样本中细菌总量及其群落的多样性,但中度Pb污染会提高土壤样本中细菌群落的多样性. Pb污染会改变三叶草根际土壤样本中细菌群落组成和丰度,不同类型细菌对Pb污染土壤的适应性不同.根际土壤样本中Gp1菌群的丰度随着土壤w（Pb）的增加而增加,说明Gp1菌群可能是具有Pb污染抗性的优势菌群.