A Critical Assessment of the Use of Surrogate Species in Conservation Planning in the Sacramento‐San Joaquin Delta,California (U.S.A.)

Abstract: Conservation biology has provided wildlife managers with a wealth of concepts and tools for use in conservation planning; among them is the surrogate species concept. Over the past 20 years, a growing body of empirical literature has demonstrated the limited effectiveness of surrogates as management tools, unless it is first established that the target species and surrogate will respond similarly to a given set of environmental conditions. Wildlife managers and policy makers have adopted the surrogate species concept, reflecting the limited information available on most species at risk of extirpation or extinction and constraints on resources available to support conservation efforts. We examined the use of surrogate species, in the form of cross‐taxon response‐indicator species (that is, one species from which data are used to guide management planning for another, distinct species) in the Sacramento‐San Joaquin Delta, California (U.S.A.). In that system there has been increasing reliance on surrogates in conservation planning for species listed under federal or state endangered species acts, although the agencies applying the surrogate species concept did not first validate that the surrogate and target species respond similarly to relevant environmental conditions. During the same period, conservation biologists demonstrated that the surrogate concept is generally unsupported by ecological theory and empirical evidence. Recently developed validation procedures may allow for the productive use of surrogates in conservation planning, but, used without validation, the surrogate species concept is not a reliable planning tool.     

Evaluation of soil characteristics potentially affecting arsenic concentration in paddy rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Paddy rice may contribute considerably to the human intake of As. The knowledge of soil characteristics affecting the As content of the rice plant enables the development of agricultural measures for controlling As uptake.During field surveys in 2004 and 2006, plant samples from 68 fields (Italy, Po-area) revealed markedly differing As concentration in polished rice. The soil factors total As_{(aqua regia)}, pH, grain size fractions, total C, plant available P_(CAL), poorly crystalline Fe_(oxal.) and plant available Si_(Na-acetate) content that potentially affect As content of rice were determined.A multiple linear regression analysis showed a significant positive influence of the total As_{(aqua regia)} and plant available P_(CAL) content and a negative influence of the poorly crystalline Fe_(oxal.) content of the soil on the As content in polished rice and rice straw.Si concentration in rice straw varied widely and was negatively related to As content in straw and polished rice.     

Evaluating the best available social science for natural resource management decision-making

Increasing recognition of the human dimensions of natural resource management issues, and of social and ecological sustainability and resilience as being inter-related, highlights the importance of applying social science to natural resource management decision-making. Moreover, a number of laws and regulations require natural resource management agencies to consider the “best available science” (BAS) when making decisions, including social science. Yet rarely do these laws and regulations define or identify standards for BAS, and those who have tried to fill the gap have done so from the standpoint of best available natural science. This paper proposes evaluative criteria for best available social science (BASS), explaining why a broader set of criteria than those used for natural science is needed. Although the natural and social sciences share many of the same evaluative criteria for BAS, they also exhibit some differences, especially where qualitative social science is concerned. Thus we argue that the evaluative criteria for BAS should expand to include those associated with diverse social science disciplines, particularly the qualitative social sciences. We provide one example from the USA of how a federal agency − the U.S. Forest Service − has attempted to incorporate BASS in responding to its BAS mandate associated with the national forest planning process, drawing on different types of scientific information and in light of these criteria. Greater attention to including BASS in natural resource management decision-making can contribute to better, more equitable, and more defensible management decisions and policies.     

增施磷肥对提高强酸性高硒茶园土壤硒有效性的效果

通过大田试验,研究了增施钙镁磷肥、过磷酸钙及与生物有机肥混施共6种调控措施对强酸性高硒茶园土壤基本化学性质、土壤有效硒和茶叶中硒质量比的调控效果.结果表明,不同磷肥及不同用量处理对土壤有效硒质量比增加均有效果,高用量的3种处理(钙镁磷肥高用量与生物有机肥混施、钙镁磷肥高用量和过磷酸钙高用量)效果好于正常用量的处理(钙镁磷肥正常用量与生物有机肥混施、钙镁磷肥正常用量、过磷酸钙正常用量),且用量相同的情况下,伴有生物有机肥的磷肥处理效果最好.增施磷肥调控均不同程度地增加了茶叶硒质量比,6种处理的增幅均达到极显著水平(p＜0.01).     

组配改良剂对土壤-蔬菜系统铅镉转运调控的场地研究

以组配改良剂LS(石灰石∶海泡石=2∶1)为试验材料,通过对湘南某矿区附近铅镉复合污染旱地土壤进行现场改良钝化,研究施加不同量的LS(0、2、4、8 g·kg-1)对茄子和苋菜植株吸收累积Pb和Cd的影响以及对Pb和Cd在2种蔬菜植株各部位间转运的调控.结果表明:1施加LS能够显著提高土壤p H,降低土壤中交换态Pb和Cd的含量.2施加LS能显著降低2种蔬菜植株各部位中Pb和Cd的含量.LS施加量为2~8 g·kg-1时,茄子果实中Pb和Cd的含量分别降低44.7%~78.6%和36.0%~78.7%;苋菜植株茎叶中Pb和Cd的含量分别降低45.8%~59.1%和40.0%~87.2%.3LS的施加降低了2种蔬菜植株各部位间Pb和Cd的转运系数.2种蔬菜植株在根-茎-果实间或根-茎叶间转运Cd的能力大于Pb,且施加LS各处理下,同种蔬菜相同部位对Pb和Cd的转运能力大小关系保持不变.     

螯合剂-油菜联合修复对镉污染土壤酶活性的影响

通过盆栽实验,研究了在螯合剂-芥菜型油菜修复镉污染土壤中,不同浓度的3种螯合剂EDTA、EDDS和草酸对3种土壤酶活性的影响。结果表明,3种螯合剂均显著提高了土壤总Cd去除率,其中EDTA的效果最好,最佳浓度为3 mmol/kg,此时土壤总的Cd去除率高达74.57%。EDTA诱导下土壤蔗糖酶和脲酶活性均显著提高,低浓度EDDS和草酸处理,蔗糖酶活性明显提高,但浓度较高时降到与对照组相当的水平;EDDS和草酸的施用对脲酶活性没有显著影响。3种螯合剂诱导下过氧化氢酶活性均受到轻微抑制,但变化不显著。仅在施加EDTA的土壤中蔗糖酶活性与土壤总Cd含量显著负相关,其他处理中蔗糖酶、过氧化氢酶和脲酶活性与土壤总Cd含量的相关性都不显著。     

A pilot study on the effect of Cu,Zn, and Cd on the spectral curves and chlorophyll of wheat canopy at tiller stage

The aim of this study was to investigate canopy spectral reflectance responses to different levels of heavy metals copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and cadmium (Cd) induced stress. Random blocks design experiment was conducted to simulate Cu, Zn, and Cd at five concentration levels. Chlorophyll and visible and near infrared canopy reflectance were measured for each treatment 56 days after seeding using chlorophyll meter SPAD-502 and spectroradiometer, respectively. New vegetative indices termed ratio of inclination angles (RIA), MERIS (the medium resolution imaging spectrometer) terrestrial chlorophyll index (MTCI), and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were used to assess the response of canopy spectral reflectance to different heavy metal levels. Significant spectral variability especially in blue, red, and near infrared reflectance was observed for different heavy metal treatments. One-sample test showed significant difference for NDVI, MTCI, and RIA among five-level treatments at the 0.01 level. Correlation analysis demonstrated that the two vegetative indices (RIA and MTCI) were significantly correlated with chlorophyll meter values for Cd, Cu, and Zn treatments. However, NDVI was only significantly correlated with chlorophyll meter values for Cu and Zn treatments. Linear regression analysis also illustrated that RIA and MTCI were potential indices for predicting chlorophyll concentration with significant F test under Cu-, Zn-, and Cd-mediated stress.     

硫氮沉降下西北荒漠煤矿区周边土壤性质的变化特点

近年来中国大部分区域大气硫、氮沉降速率趋于平稳甚至下降,但西北地区煤炭行业的快速发展使得硫、氮沉降速率加快.燃煤电厂作为酸前体物的主要排放源之一,在其周围开展硫、氮沉降效应研究,可为合理评价煤矿区大气污染物控制措施的实施效果提供数据支撑.该文以宁东能源化工基地3个燃煤电厂为采样点,研究了电厂周围土壤化学和生物学性质的变...     

Implementation of the European IPPC Directive—BAT guidelines for the cement industry in Cyprus

The European Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive 96/61/EC aims to introduce a European-wide system of integrated prevention and control of pollution in order to secure a high level of protection to the environment as a whole. It places obligations on the Member States (MS) to introduce controls that ensure operators comply with the Directive. In this framework, as a part of the implementation process leading to formal accession of Cyprus to the European Union, the National Technical University of Athens has examined all documents related to the Best Available Techniques (BATs) published by Institutes and Organisations, such as the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies in Spain, the Environmental Protection Agency in Ireland, the World Bank Group and the Ministry for the Environment, Planning and Public Works in Greece. A series of guidelines were developed for the application of BATs for 14 categories of the Cypriot industry that fall into the IPPC Directive. The concept of BATs plays a central role in the Directive because it provides a basis for setting Emission Limit Values (ELVs) as well as the principal benchmark for determining the obligations of industrial operators in respect of pollution prevention and control. This paper presents the guidelines for cement manufacture in Cyprus.     

The relative contribution of visual and auditory cues to environmental perception

This study assesses the relative dominance of vision and hearing in judgments of environments, and examines whether the sound sensitivity of the judge alters relative sensory dominance. Six sets of four composite (auditory-plus-visual) videotaped environmental displays were created from unisensory visual and auditory components with known levels of evoked affect. These displays, in a 2 (high, low) × 2 (high, low) Pleasure and/or Arousal format, were presented to 70 participants. The results indicate that visual cues dominate auditory cues in judgments of Pleasure, but that the degree of dominance is highly variable. Arousal judgments were not consistently related to visual or auditory cues. Sound sensitivity does not appear to influence the relative dominance of vision.