Effect of dung deposition on small-scale patch structure and seasonal vegetation dynamics in mountain pastures

Cattle activity greatly influences plant species composition and biomass production of grassland ecosystems. Dung deposition by cattle together with grazing and trampling can be considered as one of the important factors driving vegetation dynamics in pastures. The objective of this study was to investigate at 10-cm and 1-month resolution the plant community dynamics induced by dung deposition in two plant communities (a mesotrophic and an oligotrophic grassland) in a pasture of the Swiss Jura Mountains. Vegetation was sampled four or three times during the vegetation period in contiguous 10 cm × 10 cm quadrats from the centre of the dung pat to a distance of 60 cm. A lower grazing intensity near the dung pat was recorded for all observation periods. In the mesotrophic grassland the canopy was higher near the dung pat already one week after dung deposition. Vegetation around dung pats was submitted to two opposite fertilizing and grazing gradients, which induced changes in vegetation texture and structure at fine scale and short term. We observed a positive rank correlation between species turnover and distance to the dung for both communities, suggesting a seasonal stabilizing effect of dung on the plant composition of their direct surroundings (0–10 cm) likely due to cattle avoidance. Since dung pats are dropped every year in different locations, they create in the pasture a shifting mosaic of nutrient availability and grazing intensity inducing at seasonal scale micro-successions in plant communities.     

漫湾电站库区降雨侵蚀力时空变化

漫湾水电站是澜沧江水能梯级开发的第一个干流大型水电站，加强库区水土流失治理与监督监测尤为必要，而降雨侵蚀力的时空分布规律研究则是实现区域土壤侵蚀定量监测预报的重要基础。根据有关降雨侵蚀力的计算方法，利用漫湾电站库区4个测站1980～2000年的逐月平均降雨资料，估算了其降雨侵蚀力R值的时空分布规律及其变化特征。结果表明：漫湾电站库区多年平均降雨侵蚀力在1 9336～3 9727 MJ·mm/hm2·h；R值的年内变化显著，且较大值集中分布在雨季的5月～10月，平均R值占全年的867%，尤其6～8月连续3个月的降雨侵蚀力平均占全年侵蚀力的一半以上；R值的年际变化显示20世纪90年代漫湾电站库区降雨侵蚀力比80年代平均增加2835 MJ·mm/hm2·h；R值的空间分布上以凤庆站点的年降雨侵蚀力最大；南涧站点的年降雨侵蚀力最小，但是其年际波动幅度较大。全面地分析了漫湾电站库区降雨侵蚀力R值的时空变化特征，为该地区有效防止与监测水土流失情况、更好地安置水电站工程移民提供参考。     

Cu-Mn-Zr复合催化剂制备及其催化氧化乙酸乙酯性能

采用溶胶凝胶法制备了4种不同金属摩尔比的Cu-Mn-Zr复合催化剂，利用BET、XRD和XPS对其进行了表征分析，通过固定床管式反应器评价了其对乙酸乙酯模拟气体的催化活性，定性测定了其催化反应降解产物.结果表明，Mn的加入增大了催化剂的比表面积和总孔容，催化剂的N₂吸附-解吸等温线为IV型.Cu-Zr（1：1）催化剂观察到氧化铜晶体和四方晶型氧化锆晶体，氧化铜晶体随着Cu比例的减小而降低，Mn的加入导致氧化锆晶体消失.催化剂无固定形态，呈现良好的分散性.增大Mn/Zr摩尔比能提高催化活性.Cu-Mn-Zr的适当组分比能提高其低温催化活性，其中Cu-Mn-Zr（1：1：1）催化剂的低温催化活性与CO₂的选择性较佳，在200℃时对CO₂的选择性达到96.7%.降解产物分析表明，乙酸乙酯降解中间产物有乙酸和乙醇，最终降解产物主要有CO₂和H₂O等.     

Tracking the response of industrial fishing fleets to large marine protected areas in the Pacific Ocean

Large marine protected areas (MPAs) of unprecedented size have recently been established across the global oceans, yet their ability to meet conservation objectives is debated. Key areas of debate include uncertainty over nations’ abilities to enforce fishing bans across vast, remote regions and the intensity of human impacts before and after MPA implementation. We used a recently developed vessel tracking data set (produced using Automatic Identification System detections) to quantify the response of industrial fishing fleets to 5 of the largest MPAs established in the Pacific Ocean since 2013. After their implementation, all 5 MPAs successfully kept industrial fishing effort exceptionally low. Detected fishing effort was already low in 4 of the 5 large MPAs prior to MPA implementation, particularly relative to nearby regions that did not receive formal protection. Our results suggest that these large MPAs may present major conservation opportunities in relatively intact ecosystems with low immediate impact to industrial fisheries, but the large MPAs we considered often did not significantly reduce fishing effort because baseline fishing was typically low. It is yet to be determined how large MPAs may shape global ocean conservation in the future if the footprint of human influence continues to expand. Continued improvement in understanding of how large MPAs interact with industrial fisheries is a crucial step toward defining their role in global ocean management.     

Assessment of Water Availability and Scarcity Based on Hydrologic Components in an Irrigated Agricultural Watershed Using SWAT

This study assesses the water availability and the water scarcity based on the hydrologic behavior under different weather conditions and crop coverages in an irrigated agricultural area of Rincon Valley in New Mexico using the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model. Two spatial crop coverages included normal (2008) and dry (2011) years with 14 different crop sets for each year. The SWAT was applied to generate the five essential indicators (surface flow, evapotranspiration, soil water, groundwater recharge, and irrigation water) to evaluate the integrated water availability based on hydrologic response units (HRUs) along with the Arrey Canal to supply irrigation water in the crop areas. The water availability index scores (0–1 range with 1 being the most available and 0 the least available) of alfalfa, corn, cotton, and pecans were 0.21, 0.56, 0.91, and 0.20, respectively, in the normal year and 0.16, 0.78, 0.88, and 0.24, respectively, in the dry year. In the dry year, water scarcity values were high in mostly alfalfa areas, whereas cotton areas have mostly no stress with good water availability. The major water users of crops, ranked in order, were alfalfa, pecans, cotton, and corn. During the dry year, water availability showed to be balanced in terms of water supply and demand by controlling crop patterns from reducing alfalfa acreage by 12% and increasing cotton acreage by 13%.     

Effects of stewardship on protected area effectiveness for coastal birds

Evaluation of protected area effectiveness is critical for conservation of biodiversity. Protected areas that prioritize biodiversity conservation are, optimally, located and managed in ways that support relatively large and stable or increasing wildlife populations. Yet evaluating conservation efficacy remains a challenging endeavor. We used an extensive community science data set, eBird, to evaluate the efficacy of protected areas for birds across the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts of the United States. We modeled trends (2007–2018) for 12 vulnerable waterbirds that use coastal areas during breeding or wintering. We compared two types of protected areas—sites where conservation organizations implemented active stewardship or management or both to reduce human disturbance (hereafter stewardship sites) and local, state, federal, and private protected areas managed to maintain natural land cover (hereafter protected areas)—as well as unprotected areas. We evaluated differences in trends between stewardship, protected, and unprotected areas across the Gulf and Atlantic coasts as a whole. Similar to a background sample, stewardship was known to occur at stewardship sites, but unknown at protected and unprotected areas. Four of 12 target species—Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger), Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), Least Tern (Sternula antillarum), and Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)—had more positive trends (two to 34 times greater) at stewardship sites than protected areas. Furthermore, five target species showed more positive trends at sites with stewardship programs than unprotected sites during at least one season, whereas seven species showed more positive trends at protected than unprotected areas. No species had more negative trends at stewardship sites than unprotected areas, and two species had more negative trends at protected than unprotected areas. Anthropogenic disturbance is a serious threat to coastal birds, and our findings demonstrate that stewardship to reduce its negative impacts helps ensure conservation of vulnerable waterbirds.     

The value of flexibility in conservation financing

Land‐acquisition strategies employed by conservation organizations vary in their flexibility. Conservation‐planning theory largely fails to reflect this by presenting models that are either extremely inflexible—parcel acquisitions are irreversible and budgets are fixed—or extremely flexible—previously acquired parcels can readily be sold. This latter approach, the selling of protected areas, is infeasible or problematic in many situations. We considered the value to conservation organizations of increasing the flexibility of their land‐acquisition strategies through their approach to financing deals. Specifically, we modeled 2 acquisition‐financing methods commonly used by conservation organizations: borrowing and budget carry‐over. Using simulated data, we compared results from these models with those from an inflexible fixed‐budget model and an extremely flexible selling model in which previous acquisitions could be sold to fund new acquisitions. We then examined 3 case studies of how conservation organizations use borrowing and budget carry‐over in practice. Model comparisons showed that borrowing and budget carry‐over always returned considerably higher rewards than the fixed‐budget model. How they performed relative to the selling model depended on the relative conservation value of past acquisitions. Both the models and case studies showed that incorporating flexibility through borrowing or budget carry‐over gives conservation organizations the ability to purchase parcels of higher conservation value than when budgets are fixed without the problems associated with the selling of protected areas.     

紫羊茅抗铜和敏感品种在发育早期对铜离子反应的生理差异

紫羊茅（Festucarubra）抗铜品种Merlin和敏感品种559种子在水中吸胀5d后长出的幼苗在一般培养液中分别培养了0、2、4、6、8和10d（分别称为D0、D2、D4、D6、D8和D10）后再置于ρ（Cu2＋）＝5mg／L的相同培养液中，其中约一半培养至d20，其余至d27．结果与同龄的幼苗相比，MerlinD6在27d和20d的根中均有最高的干物质含量和最大的叶绿素浓度；在27d苗的根中铜积累了最少；而MerlinD6的苗在各个抗性处理组中最高在从20d至27d的培养期间，MerlinD6地上部分的干物质增加最多，而根中则减少最多，叶绿素含量也减少最多，在根中积累的铜也最少；可是在敏感的S59中则没有这种特殊现象，这些现象暗示，即使是在抗性品种的Merlin中，在其不同的生长时期经铜处理，也表现出不同的抗性，并可能有一个抗性最大的生长期。     

Complementarity of No‐Take Marine Reserves and Individual Transferable Catch Quotas for Managing the Line Fishery of the Great Barrier Reef

Abstract: Changes in the management of the fin fish fishery of the Great Barrier Reef motivated us to investigate the combined effects on economic returns and fish biomass of no‐take areas and regulated total allowable catch allocated in the form of individual transferable quotas (such quotas apportion the total allowable catch as fishing rights and permits the buying and selling of these rights among fishers). We built a spatially explicit biological and economic model of the fishery to analyze the trade‐offs between maintaining given levels of fish biomass and the net financial returns from fishing under different management regimes. Results of the scenarios we modeled suggested that a decrease in total allowable catch at high levels of harvest either increased net returns or lowered them only slightly, but increased biomass by up to 10% for a wide range of reserve sizes and an increase in the reserve area from none to 16% did not greatly change net returns at any catch level. Thus, catch shares and no‐take reserves can be complementary and when these methods are used jointly they promote lower total allowable catches when harvest is relatively high and encourage larger no‐take areas when they are small.     

Seasonal Flushing of Pollutant Concentrations and Loads in Urban Stormwater1

Schiff, Kenneth C. and Liesl L. Tiefenthaler, 2011. Seasonal Flushing of Pollutant Concentrations and Loads in Urban Stormwater. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 47(1):136‐142. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2010.00497.x Abstract: Despite broad observations of first flush within storms, the scientific understanding of seasonal flushing remains incomplete. Seasonal flushing occurs when initial storms of the season have greater concentrations or loads than storms later in the season. The goal of this study was to census stormwater concentrations and loads from an arid, urban watershed to quantify seasonal flushing. Samples were collected every 15 min during the 1997‐1998 wet season from the Santa Ana River and analyzed for total suspended solids. Initial storms of the season generated event mean concentrations 3‐10 times the event mean concentration of storms later in the season. Cumulative flow‐weighted mean concentrations were calculated as the season progressed. Early season storms discharged only 6% of the annual volume, but influenced flow‐weighted mean concentrations well past the midpoint of the wet season. Mass‐based estimates also indicated a disproportionate load in the early portion of the year; over 52% of the annual load was discharged in the first 30% of the annual volume from the highly urbanized lower watershed. Other stormwater pollutants, including six trace metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni, Zn), were highly correlated with total suspended solids and also exhibited a significant seasonal flush.