物理和生物组合扰动对底泥微界面过程的影响

借助Rhizon间隙水采样技术、Unisense微电极技术,解析了物理扰动和摇蚊幼虫组合扰动对底泥微界面和微环境特征的协同作用.结果表明,组合扰动、生物扰动均导致溶解氧渗透深度(OPD)、总氧气交换速率(TOE)、含水率、总微生物活性显著增加,并保持在高于对照实验的水平.并且,组合扰动下,这些指标随着物理扰动强度增加而有所增加.对于Fe2+而言,组合扰动和生物扰动均导致Fe2+含量明显降低,且降低幅度明显大于对照实验.Fe2+、含水率、总微生物活性在底泥0~4 cm内受扰动影响变化幅度较大.这可能是内源磷形态转化的"活性区域".对组合扰动下OPD、TOE、Fe2+、含水率、总微生物活性与物理扰动强度进行曲线拟合.结果表明,各拟合方程均符合2阶多项式,且当扰动强度≥34 r·min-1,组合扰动对上述指标产生"跃变式"叠加作用.这种改造效应可能是内源磷形态转化的主要诱发机制.     

沙漠化灾害的景观干扰分析

土地沙漠化是影响全球生存环境和可持续发展的重大灾害性问题，本文从景观和景观生态学出发，论述了沙漠化景观稳定性和景观干扰的特征、本质及测度，特别强调了自然因素和人为活动对沙化景观干扰所产生的影响，最后论述了依据地理信息系统和遥感图像建立沙化景观干扰图的框架，为从景观尺度研究沙漠化灾害和防治沙漠化提供参考。     

反复扰动下磷在沉积物和悬浮物以及上覆水间的交换

以太湖梅梁湾和月亮湾沉积物为研究对象,分析了沉积物反复扰动下磷在沉积物、悬浮物、上覆水间的交换规律.结果表明,反复扰动下,上覆水中TP和PP浓度降低;DTP则是在第8 d达到平衡浓度,分别稳定在0.019 mg·L-1(梅梁湾)和0.039 mg·L-1(月亮湾);DIP则发生了释放,随后降低,DIP的释放主要与沉积物中NH4Cl-P含量最大有关.第8 d达到平衡浓度,分别稳定在0.013 mg·L-1(梅梁湾)和0.028 mg·L-1(月亮湾).与上覆水中溶解氧的变化规律吻合.另外,扰动过程中梅梁湾上覆水DTP和DIP均明显高于月亮湾.由于扰动作用,悬浮物和沉积物上不同形态磷(NH4Cl-P、Fe/Al-P、HCl-P)数量分布发生明显变化.扰动过程中,梅梁湾悬浮物上NH4Cl-P、Fe/Al-P、HCl-P含量逐渐降低,而同一时间段上覆水中不同形态磷含量同样降低,但沉积物上NH4Cl-P、Fe/Al-P、HCl-P含量逐渐增加.尽管月亮湾的趋势不如梅梁湾显著,但总体趋势一致,暗示悬浮物在磷交换过程中所起的媒介作用.     

Effects of anthropogenic disturbance on primate density at the landscape scale

Accurate estimations of the abundance of threatened animal populations are required for assessment of species’ status and vulnerability and conservation planning. However, density estimation is usually difficult and resource demanding, so researchers often collect data at local scales. However, anthropogenic pressures most often have landscape-level effects, for example, through habitat loss and fragmentation. We applied hierarchical distance sampling (HDS) to transect count data to determine the effect of habitat and anthropogenic factors on the density of 3 arboreal primate species inhabiting 5 distinct tropical forests across a landscape of 19,000 km² in the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania. We developed a novel, multiregion extension of HDS that allowed us to model density and detectability jointly across forests without losing site-specific information. For all species, the effect of anthropogenic disturbance on density was overwhelmingly negative among metapopulations: −0.63 Angolan colobus (Colobus angolensis palliatus) (95% Bayesian CI −1.03 to −0.27), −0.54 Udzungwa red colobus (Procolobus gordonorum) (−0.89 to −0.22), and −0.33 Sykes' monkey (Cercopithecus mitis monoides) (−0.63 to −0.07). Some responses to habitat factors were shared, notably the negative effect of elevation and the positive effect of climber coverage. These results are important for conservation science and practice because: the among-populations negative responses to anthropogenic disturbance provides a foundation for development of conservation plans that hold at the landscape scale, which is a comprehensive and cost-efficient approach; the among-species consistency in responses suggests conservation measures may be generalized at the guild level, which is especially relevant given the functional importance of primates in tropical rainforests; and the greater primate densities in areas at low elevation, which are closer to human settlements, point to specific management recommendations, such as the creation of buffer zones and prioritization of areas for protection.     

Nonadditive effects among threats on rare plant species

The current loss of biodiversity has put 50,000 plant species at an elevated risk of extinction worldwide. Conserving at-risk species is often complicated by covariance or nonadditivity among threats, which makes it difficult to determine optimal management strategies. We sought to demographically quantify covariance and nonadditive effects of more threats on more rare plant species than ever attempted in a single analysis. We used 1082 population reports from 186 populations across 3 U.S. states of 27 rare, herbaceous plant species collected over 15 years by citizen scientists. We used a linear mixed-effects model with 4 threats and their interactions as fixed predictors, species as a random predictor, and annual growth rates as the response. We found a significant 3-way interaction on annual growth rates; rare plant population sizes were reduced by 46% during the time immediately after disturbance when populations were also browsed by deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and had high levels of encroachment by woody species. This nonadditive effect should be considered a major threat to the persistence of rare plant species. Our results highlight the need for comprehensive, multithreat assessments to determine optimal conservation actions.     

Critical factors for the recovery of marine mammals

{en} Over the past decades, much research has focused on understanding the critical factors for marine extinctions with the aim of preventing further species losses in the oceans. Although conservation and management strategies are enabling several species and populations to recover, others remain at low abundance levels or continue to decline. To understand these discrepancies, we used a published database on abundance trends of 137 populations of marine mammals worldwide and compiled data on 28 potentially critical factors for recovery. We then applied random forests and additive mixed models to determine which intrinsic and extrinsic factors are critical for the recovery of marine mammals. A mix of life‐history characteristics, ecological traits, phylogenetic relatedness, population size, geographic range, human impacts, and management efforts explained why populations recovered or not. Consistently, species with lower age at maturity and intermediate habitat area were more likely to recover, which is consistent with life‐history and ecological theory. Body size, trophic level, social interactions, dominant habitat, ocean basin, and habitat disturbance also explained some differences in recovery patterns. Overall, a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic factors were important for species’ recovery, pointing to cumulative effects. Our results provide insight for improving conservation and management strategies to enhance recoveries in the future.     

高速公路动荷载对塌陷区的扰动分析

随着煤矿塌陷区的不断增多和高速公路的高速建设,高速公路不可避免的穿越塌陷区。通过分析高速公路与塌陷区的空间形态,提出将塌陷区上新增的路基材料作为静荷载,将行驶的车辆视为沿正弦曲线运动的动荷载作用在塌陷区上。根据荷载大小分析荷载对采空区上方岩体的扰动深度,通过实例分别计算得出考虑车辆附加动荷载和只考虑车辆自重的高速公路对岩体的扰动深度,两者有一定的差异。在实际工程应用中,应考虑车辆的附加动荷载,以及高速公路对采空区的扰动深度是否影响到上覆岩层冒落裂缝带等因素,对保证高速公路的后期稳定性具有重要意义。     

Effects of Controlled Fire and Livestock Grazing on Bird Communities in East African Savannas

Abstract: In East Africa fire and grazing by wild and domestic ungulates maintain savannas, and pastoralists historically set fires and herded livestock through the use of temporary corrals called bomas. In recent decades traditional pastoral practices have declined, and this may be affecting biodiversity. We investigated the effects of prescribed fires and bomas on savanna bird communities in East Africa during the first and second dry seasons of the year (respectively before and after the rains that mark the onset of breeding for most birds). We compared abundance, richness, and community composition on 9‐ha burned plots, recently abandoned bomas, and control plots in the undisturbed matrix habitat over a 3‐year period. Generally, recently burned areas and abandoned bomas attracted greater densities of birds and had different community assemblages than the surrounding matrix. The effects of disturbances were influenced by interactions between primary productivity, represented by the normalized difference vegetation index, and time. Bird densities were highest and a greater proportion of species was observed on burned plots in the months following the fires. Drought conditions equalized bird densities across treatments within 1 year, and individuals from a greater proportion of species were more commonly observed on abandoned bomas. Yearly fluctuations in abundance were less pronounced on bomas than on burns, which indicate that although fire may benefit birds in the short term, bomas may have a more‐lasting positive effect and provide resources during droughts. Several Palearctic migrants were attracted to burned plots regardless of rainfall, which indicates continued fire suppression may threaten their already‐declining populations. Most notably, the paucity of birds observed on the controls suggests that the current structure of the matrix developed as a result of fire suppression. Traditional pastoralism appears critical to the maintenance of avian diversity in these savannas.     

Simulating the potential for ecological restoration of dryland forests in Mexico under different disturbance regimes

Examining the potential for ecological restoration is important in areas where anthropogenic disturbance has degraded forest landscapes. However, the conditions under which restoration of degraded tropical dry forests (TDF) might be achieved in practice have not been determined in detail. In this study, we used LANDIS-II, a spatially explicit model of forest dynamics, to assess the potential for passive restoration of TDF through natural regeneration. The model was applied to two Mexican landscapes under six different disturbance regimes, focusing on the impact of fire and cattle grazing on forest cover, structure and composition. Model results identified two main findings. First, tropical dry forests are more resilient to anthropogenic disturbance than expected. Results suggested that under both a scenario of small, infrequent fires and a scenario of large, frequent fires, forest area can increase relatively rapidly. However, forest structure and composition differed markedly between these scenarios. After 400 years, the landscape becomes increasingly occupied by relatively shade-tolerant species under small, infrequent fires, but only species with both relatively high shade tolerance and high fire tolerance can thrive under conditions with large, frequent fires. Second, we demonstrated that different forms of disturbance can interact in unexpected ways. Our projections revealed that when grazing acts in combination with fire, forest cover, structure and composition vary dramatically depending on the frequency and extent of the fires. Results indicated that grazing and fire have a synergistic effect causing a reduction in forest cover greater than the sum of their individual effects. This suggests that passive landscape-scale restoration of TDF is achievable in both Mexican study areas only if grazing is reduced, and fires are carefully managed to reduce their frequency and intensity.