Using historical ecology to reassess the conservation status of coniferous forests in Central Europe

Forests cover approximately one‐third of Central Europe. Oak (Quercus) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica) are considered the natural dominants at low and middle elevations, respectively. Many coniferous forests (especially of Picea abies) occur primarily at midelevations, but these are thought to have resulted from forestry plantations planted over the past 200 years. Nature conservation and forestry policy seek to promote broadleaved trees over conifers. However, there are discrepancies between conservation guidelines (included in Natura 2000) and historical and palaeoecological data with regard to the distribution of conifers. Our aim was to bring new evidence to the debate on the conservation of conifers versus broadleaved trees at midelevations in Central Europe. We created a vegetation and land‐cover model based on pollen data for a highland area of 11,300 km² in the Czech Republic and assessed tree species composition in the forests before the onset of modern forestry based on 18th‐century archival sources. Conifers dominated the study region throughout the entire Holocene (approximately 40–60% of the area). Broadleaved trees were present in a much smaller area than envisaged by current ideas of natural vegetation. Rather than casting doubt on the principles of Central European nature conservation in general, our results highlight the necessity of detailed regional investigations and the importance of historical data in challenging established notions on the natural distribution of tree species.     

Quantifying Preferences for the Natural World Using Monetary and Nonmonetary Assessments of Value

Given that funds for biodiversity conservation are limited, there is a need to understand people's preferences for its different components. To date, such preferences have largely been measured in monetary terms. However, how people value biodiversity may differ from economic theory, and there is little consensus over whether monetary metrics are always appropriate or the degree to which other methods offer alternative and complementary perspectives on value. We used a choice experiment to compare monetary amounts recreational visitors to urban green spaces were willing to pay for biodiversity enhancement (increases in species richness for birds, plants, and aquatic macroinvertebrates) with self‐reported psychological gains in well‐being derived from visiting the same sites. Willingness‐to‐pay (WTP) estimates were significant and positive, and respondents reported high gains in well‐being across 3 axes derived from environmental psychology theories (reflection, attachment, continuity with past). The 2 metrics were broadly congruent. Participants with above‐median self‐reported well‐being scores were willing to pay significantly higher amounts for enhancing species richness than those with below‐median scores, regardless of taxon. The socio‐economic and demographic background of participants played little role in determining either their well‐being or the probability of choosing a paying option within the choice experiment. Site‐level environmental characteristics were only somewhat related to WTP, but showed strong associations with self‐reported well‐being. Both approaches are likely to reflect a combination of the environmental properties of a site and unobserved individual preference heterogeneity for the natural world. Our results suggest that either metric will deliver mutually consistent results in an assessment of environmental preferences, although which approach is preferable depends on why one wishes to measure values for the natural world. Preferencias de Cuantificación para el Mundo Natural Usando Estudios de Valor Monetario y No Monetario.     

Loss of an ecological baseline through the eradication of oyster reefs from coastal ecosystems and human memory

Oyster reefs form over extensive areas and the diversity and productivity of sheltered coasts depend on them. Due to the relatively recent population growth of coastal settlements in Australia, we were able to evaluate the collapse and extirpation of native oyster reefs (Ostrea angasi) over the course of a commercial fishery. We used historical records to quantify commercial catch of O. angasi in southern Australia from early colonization, around 1836, to some of the last recorded catches in 1944 and used our estimates of catch and effort to map their past distribution and assess oyster abundance over 180 years. Significant declines in catch and effort occurred from 1886 to 1946 and no native oyster reefs occur today, but historically oyster reefs extended across more than 1,500 km of coastline. That oyster reefs were characteristic of much of the coastline of South Australia from 1836 to 1910 appears not to be known because there is no contemporary consideration of their ecological and economic value. Based on the concept of a shifted baseline, we consider this contemporary state to reflect a collective, intergenerational amnesia. Our model of generational amnesia accounts for differences in intergenerational expectations of food, economic value, and ecosystem services of nearshore areas. An ecological system that once surrounded much of the coast and possibly the past presence of oyster reefs altogether may be forgotten and could not only undermine progress towards their recovery, but also reduce our expectations of these coastal ecosystems. La Pérdida de una Línea de Base Ecológica por Medio de la Erradicación de Arrecifes de Ostión de los Ecosistemas Costeros y la Memoria Humana     

Thermal Physiology,Disease, and Amphibian Declines on the Eastern Slopes of the Andes

Rising temperatures, a widespread consequence of climate change, have been implicated in enigmatic amphibian declines from habitats with little apparent human impact. The pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), now widespread in Neotropical mountains, may act in synergy with climate change causing collapse in thermally stressed hosts. We measured the thermal tolerance of frogs along a wide elevational gradient in the Tropical Andes, where frog populations have collapsed. We used the difference between critical thermal maximum and the temperature a frog experiences in nature as a measure of tolerance to high temperatures. Temperature tolerance increased as elevation increased, suggesting that frogs at higher elevations may be less sensitive to rising temperatures. We tested the alternative pathogen optimal growth hypothesis that prevalence of the pathogen should decrease as temperatures fall outside the optimal range of pathogen growth. Our infection‐prevalence data supported the pathogen optimal growth hypothesis because we found that prevalence of Bd increased when host temperatures matched its optimal growth range. These findings suggest that rising temperatures may not be the driver of amphibian declines in the eastern slopes of the Andes. Zoonotic outbreaks of Bd are the most parsimonious hypothesis to explain the collapse of montane amphibian faunas; but our results also reveal that lowland tropical amphibians, despite being shielded from Bd by higher temperatures, are vulnerable to climate‐warming stress. Fisiología Termal, Enfermedades y Disminuciones de Anfibios en las Laderas Orientales de los Andes     

Den Ecology of the Arctic Fox Alopex lagopus beringensis (Carnivora,Canidae) on Bering Island,Commander Islands

The spatial distribution of 33 Arctic fox dens on Bering Island was studied, and a relationship between the burrowing activity of Arctic foxes and the pattern of vegetation near their dens was revealed. This activity was shown to change the structure of the plant cover, with the degree of change depending on the type of biotope.     

对城乡自然生态关系的认识

针对目前对城乡之间自然生态关系缺乏准确的研究现状，首次提出建立城乡自然生态关系概念的观点，认为在城市化和城市规划研究中应加强对城乡资源关系、资源利用关系、组成要素关系和要素感知关系等方面的研究，提出应充分认识利用这种关系。     

Environmental protection and ecology-Indian experience

An attempt has been made in this paper to highlight some of environmental problems and suggest possible solutions for planning water resources development projects.     

景观生态学在生态环境影响评价中的应用——重庆二郎科技园区生态环境影响探讨

采用生态环境影响评价中的景观生态学方法 ,结合景观生态学的评价要求 ,从景观空间结构、恢复能力、内在异质性、绿色拼块之间的连通程度以及组织开放性等方面 ,对重庆市二郎科技园区规划的景观生态作出评价和预测 ,提出园区生态建设应注意的问题和采取的措施 ,以推动二郎科技园区的生态建设和经济、社会的可持续发展。     

积极开展生态环境监测为生态环境保护和建设服务

本文从阿拉善地区实际出发，以搞清生态破坏与恢复关况及变化趋势，为经济建设和生态保护提供科学依据为中心，以实现生态监测的合理化，管理的科学化，技术的现代化为目标。     

深圳河口泥滩多毛类动物的生态研究

１９９６年在深圳河口潮间带泥滩的４个季度调查共获得多毛类动物１６种。与大亚湾大鹏澳软相潮间带和九龙江口海岸潮间带多毛类相比，深圳河口潮间带泥滩多毛类种类较少，但密度和生物量较高，这与底质、有机质含量，红树林碎屑等有关，潮汐对深圳河口潮间带泥滩多毛类垂直分布的影响不明显。一些多毛类动物密度和生物量的水平分布与盐度有关。