Applying the Declining Population Paradigm: Diagnosing Causes of Poor Reproduction in the Marbled Murrelet

Abstract:  We identified six approaches to diagnosing causes of population declines and illustrate the use of the most general one ("multiple competing hypotheses") to determine which of three candidate limiting factors—food availability, nesting site availability, and nest predation—were responsible for the exceptionally poor reproduction of Marbled Murrelets (  Brachyramphus marmoratus ) in central California. We predicted how six attributes of murrelet demography, behavior, and physiology should be affected by the candidate limiting factors and tested predictions with field data collected over 2 years. The average proportion of breeders, as estimated with radiotelemetry, was low (0.31) and varied significantly between years: 0.11 in 2000 and 0.50 in 2001. Murrelets spent significantly more time foraging in 2000 than in 2001, suggesting that low food availability limited breeding in 2000. In 2001, 50% of radio-marked murrelets nested and 67% of females were in breeding condition, suggesting that enough nest sites existed for much of the population to breed. However, rates of nest failure and nest predation were high (0.84 and 0.67–0.81, respectively) and few young were produced, even when a relatively high proportion of murrelets bred. Thus, we suggest that reproduction of Marbled Murrelets in central California is limited by food availability in some years and by nest predation in others, but apparently is not limited by availability of nesting sites. The multiple-competing-hypotheses approach provides a rigorous framework for identifying causes of population declines because it integrates multiple types of data sets and can incorporate elements of other commonly used approaches.     

南水北调中线水源地不同植被类型坡地土壤水分特征研究

为了解不同植被类型土壤水资源的变化规律，选择南水北调中线水源区宁陕县寨沟区域典型植被针阔混交林、针叶林、板栗林、灌木林、荒坡草地和坡耕地为研究对象，通过样地调查与实验分析的方法对其土壤水分物理特征及有机质含量进行测定研究。结果表明，各种有林地的土壤容重、孔隙度和有机质等理化特征均优于荒坡和坡耕地；针阔混交林土壤含水量最高，蓄水能力明显好于其它植被类型；在垂直剖面上，各种植被类型坡地土壤含水量和饱和蓄水量随土壤深度的增加基本呈递减趋势，但有林地下降幅度较大，表层含水量明显高于荒坡与坡耕地表层。由此可见，在涵养水源方面，针阔混交林最好，针叶林、板栗林与灌木林次之，荒坡与坡耕地较差。     

从山东省部分行业看工业节水潜力

本文采用万元产值取水量和水重复利用率作为节水指标,通过对山东省主要工业行业用水节水现状进行调查研究,阐述了各行业节水水平和节水经验,分析并预测了节水潜力,总结提出了各行业应采取的主要节水措施和建议。     

Planning for Biodiversity: the Role of Ecological Impact Assessment

Abstract:  Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is the process of identifying potential environmental effects of proposed development and the required mitigation measures. It is one of the most widely used planning tools today, but its ability to promote biodiversity conservation is largely unexplored. We studied the ecological component of the Israeli EIA system by reviewing a representative sample of 52 environmental impact statements (EISs) produced since 1995 and their corresponding guidelines issued by the Ministry of the Environment. Quality of both EISs and guidelines was determined using a simple scoring approach. Lack of quantitative data, meaningful analyses, and ecosystem perspective was apparent throughout. Many EISs failed to perform field surveys and their qualitative nature hampered meaningful impact prediction. Most EISs concentrated on aesthetic mitigation measures and did not assess their feasibility and likely success. Most of these flaws reflect poor standards rather than true scientific limitations. Guideline quality scores were the most important factor determining the quality of EISs; second was the involvement of an ecological consultant in preparing the EIS. We found a decreasing trend of EIS quality scores over time. Improvements in EIA procedures, particularly in ecological guidelines and the incorporation of ecological consultation, are important for upgrading ecological impact assessment so that the potential of EIA to advance biodiversity conservation can be realized.     

调水工程生态补偿的分阶段推进战略

水质安全是调水工程顺利实施的关键,为此调水区背负巨大的调水工程的外部经济成本和社会发展代价,必须通过生态补偿政策进行内部化,然而调水工程涉及的范围广、时间长、利益主体多、资金投入大,难以通过一种手段或者现有某种方式建立长效的生态补偿机制。文章从调水工程生态补偿政策建立的目标、标准、责任分担与利益共享、补偿方式角度分析了生态补偿现状及存在的问题,提出了调水工程生态补偿的分阶段推进战略总体思路与实施构想,重点分析了各阶段生态补偿政策的制定标准和要求,为中线调水工程生态补偿政策制定提供了技术支持。     

地下空间在节能减排中的应用及展望

在能源短缺和环境污染的双重压力下,我国出台多项措施加大节能减排力度。总结概括了地下空间的几种类型,认为盐岩洞穴、废弃矿洞、废弃油井、枯竭油气层等地下空间经过技术改造,可以埋存CO2、固体垃圾、废弃核原料,储存油气,地热利用等,能创造可观的社会价值和环境保护效益,可作为节能减排的一种有效措施。以山东地区为例,调研分析了山东多处地下空间利用现状,给出了地下空间的三种发展方向。     

秦岭中段北坡不同海拔土壤中细菌群落的分布特征及区域差异比较

为深入理解土壤细菌群落沿海拔梯度的分布特征,以秦岭山脉中段的朱雀国家森林公园朱雀山北坡（简称“朱雀北坡”）与太白山自然保护区太白山北坡（简称“太白山北坡”）为研究区域,海拔梯度上每隔400 m设置采样点,通过高通量测序研究土壤细菌群落的海拔变化规律及其关键影响因素.结果表明:研究区域内,随海拔升高,土壤pH趋于降低（太白山北坡不明显）,w（TC）、w（TN）、w（TOC）均显著升高,w（TP）也趋于升高（朱雀北坡不明显）.两个区域土壤细菌中相对丰度最高的均为变形菌门和酸杆菌门,朱雀北坡随海拔梯度变化显著的细菌主要包括变形菌门、硝化螺旋菌门、浮霉状菌门、酸杆菌门、放线菌门,其中,硝化螺旋菌门相对丰度与海拔呈正相关,放线菌门相对丰度与海拔呈负相关;太白山北坡随海拔梯度变化显著的细菌主要包括放线菌门、疣微菌门、浮霉状菌门、绿弯菌门,其中,放线菌门相对丰度与海拔呈负相关,其余三者相对丰度与海拔呈正相关.两个区域土壤细菌多样性指数（如Shannon-Wiener指数、Chao1指数、observed-species指数、PD_whole_tree指数等）沿海拔梯度均无明显变化规律,但太白山北坡数值整体上高于朱雀北坡.典范对应分析（canonical correlation analysis,CCA）结果显示,影响朱雀北坡和太白山北坡土壤细菌群落结构的主要因素均为pH和w（TOC）.研究显示,不同海拔梯度也是导致秦岭中段北坡土壤细菌群落差异的重要因素.      

RATIONAL INDUSTRIAL WATER REUSE RATIOS1

ABSTRACT: This work begins by defining rational water use, and then discusses important factors that most strongly influence it. A general model is then developed to enable factories to quantify the ratio of rational industrial water reuse based on the least cost method. The model is established to minimize the cost of water with reference to gross water use and three subsystems ‐ the intake, reuse, and discharge of industrial water. Discharge cost is determined using data from a 1997 survey of 38 factories, and reuse costs are ranked and expressed by a step function. The model is verified using data from a typical semiconductor factory in northern Taiwan's Hsinchu Science Based Industrial Park, whose effective rational water reuse ratio is about 38 percent. A sensitivity analysis shows that improving water reuse technology is the most important factor in determining the rational water reuse ratio, and the price of water is the second most important. When water costs over NT$30 (New Taiwan Dollar, US$1 = NT$34) per cubic meter, increasing reuse becomes significant. The model provides a step towards the scientific management of industrial water.     

Demographic Consequences of Terrestrial Habitat Loss for Pool‐Breeding Amphibians: Predicting Extinction Risks Associated with Inadequate Size of Buffer Zones

Abstract: Much of the biodiversity associated with isolated wetlands requires aquatic and terrestrial habitat to maintain viable populations. Current federal wetland regulations in the United States do not protect isolated wetlands or extend protection to surrounding terrestrial habitat. Consequently, some land managers, city planners, and policy makers at the state and local levels are making an effort to protect these wetland and neighboring upland habitats. Balancing human land‐use and habitat conservation is challenging, and well‐informed land‐use policy is hindered by a lack of knowledge of the specific risks of varying amounts of habitat loss. Using projections of wood frog (Rana sylvatica) and spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) populations, we related the amount of high‐quality terrestrial habitat surrounding isolated wetlands to the decline and risk of extinction of local amphibian populations. These simulations showed that current state‐level wetland regulations protecting 30 m or less of surrounding terrestrial habitat are inadequate to support viable populations of pool‐breeding amphibians. We also found that species with different life‐history strategies responded differently to the loss and degradation of terrestrial habitat. The wood frog, with a short life span and high fecundity, was most sensitive to habitat loss and isolation, whereas the longer‐lived spotted salamander with lower fecundity was most sensitive to habitat degradation that lowered adult survival rates. Our model results demonstrate that a high probability of local amphibian population persistence requires sufficient terrestrial habitat, the maintenance of habitat quality, and connectivity among local populations. Our results emphasize the essential role of adequate terrestrial habitat to the maintenance of wetland biodiversity and ecosystem function and offer a means of quantifying the risks associated with terrestrial habitat loss and degradation.