Progress in the ecology and conservation of giant pandas

Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) conservation is a possible success story in the making. If extinction of this iconic endangered species can be avoided, the species will become a showcase program for the Chinese government and its collaborators. We reviewed the major advancements in ecological science for the giant panda, examining how these advancements have contributed to panda conservation. Pandas’ morphological and behavioral adaptations to a diet of bamboo, which bear strong influence on movement ecology, have been well studied, providing knowledge to guide management actions ranging from reserve design to climate change mitigation. Foraging ecology has also provided essential information used in the creation of landscape models of panda habitat. Because habitat loss and fragmentation are major drivers of the panda population decline, efforts have been made to help identify core habitat areas, establish where habitat corridors are needed, and prioritize areas for protection and restoration. Thus, habitat models have provided guidance for the Chinese governments’ creation of 67 protected areas. Behavioral research has revealed a complex and efficient communication system and documented the need for protection of habitat that serves as a communication platform for bringing the sexes together for mating. Further research shows that den sites in old‐growth forests may be a limiting resource, indicating potential value in providing alternative den sites for rearing offspring. Advancements in molecular ecology have been revolutionary and have been applied to population census, determining population structure and genetic diversity, evaluating connectivity following habitat fragmentation, and understanding dispersal patterns. These advancements form a foundation for increasing the application of adaptive management approaches to move panda conservation forward more rapidly. Although the Chinese government has made great progress in setting aside protected areas, future emphasis will be improved management of pandas and their habitat.     

苗期玉米根叶对干旱胁迫的生理响应

采用人工控制水分的方法,研究了干旱胁迫下苗期玉米(ZeamaysL.)根系和叶片的生理指标,用以明确苗期玉米根系和叶片对干旱的生理响应。研究结果表明,苗期中度干旱胁迫处理条件下,玉米根系和叶片均表现出对干旱胁迫的生理响应,并各具特点。与对照相比,干旱胁迫使玉米根系和地上部的生物量降低,叶片中的叶绿素含量显著降低、叶片光合面积减小,根冠比增大。干旱胁迫使玉米根系比表面积增大,根系氧化活力和还原活力增强。干旱胁迫导致玉米叶片的光合功能降低,初始荧光升高,初始光系统Ⅱ(PSⅡ)的原初光能转换效率、PSⅡ潜在活性、潜在光合作用活力均受到抑制。干旱胁迫下玉米叶片和根系脂质过氧化作用增强,根系和叶片中的游离脯氨酸含量升高。     

西南地区干旱规律与节水农业发展问题

除西藏以外的中国西南地区人口、耕地和农林牧渔总产值分别占全国的19.2%、19.1%和14.9%,是我国十分重要且潜力巨大的农产品生产基地。干旱是制约本区农业发展的重要因素。文章分析了西南地区的干旱特征,揭示出该区季节性干旱严重、区域性干旱突出、干旱类型多、连旱频率大的干旱规律,提出对农业生产危害最严重的干旱类型是春旱、夏旱和伏旱。从自然和经济开发的角度,分析了该区干旱的主要成因是降雨分布不均、水资源可利用率低、水土流失严重和水利工程滞后。在此基础上,提出了提高降雨利用率、提高水资源开发程度及大力发展生物节水技术的对策,特别是农业结构调整、抗旱作物选用、节水农耕农艺技术和发展经济植物篱(埂)等生物节水技术。     

Effects of Climate and Land-Use Change on Species Abundance in a Central European Bird Community

Abstract:  Although it is known that changes in land use and climate have an impact on ecological communities, it is unclear which of these factors is currently most important. We sought to determine the influence of land-use and climate alteration on changes in the abundance of Central European birds. We examined the impact of these factors by contrasting abundance changes of birds of different breeding habitat, latitudinal distribution, and migratory behavior. We examined data from the semiquantitative Breeding Bird Atlas of Lake Constance, which borders Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Changes in the regional abundance of the 159 coexisting bird species from 1980–1981 to 2000–2002 were influenced by all three factors. Farmland birds, species with northerly ranges, and long-distance migrants declined, and wetland birds and species with southerly ranges increased in abundance. A separate analysis of the two decades between 1980–1981 and 1990–1992 and between 1990–1992 and 2000–2002 showed that the impact of climate change increased significantly over time. Latitudinal distribution was not significant in the first decade and became the most significant predictor of abundance changes in the second decade. Although the spatial scale and temporal resolution of our study is limited, this is the first study that suggests that climate change has overtaken land-use modification in determining population trends of Central European birds.     

An Environmental Domain Classification of New Zealand and Its Use as a Tool for Biodiversity Management

Abstract:   Successful biodiversity management, including the selection and subsequent management of protected areas, depends in large measure on classifications showing land areas with similar ecosystem character. In contrast to widely used, qualitative land-classification techniques, we used a numerical classification of explicit spatial layers describing aspects of New Zealand's climate and landforms. We chose input variables for their strong functional links with major physiological processes of trees and high statistical correlations with geographic distributions of individual tree species as determined from previous studies. Higher-level divisions of the resulting classification were dominated by macroclimatic variation associated with change in both latitude and orographic protection provided by New Zealand's main mountain ranges, but variation in landform became more important at finer scales of classification. Classification units showed marked variation in the proportional extent of both indigenous vegetation cover and land set aside for conservation purposes. Indigenous ecosystem remnants of the highest priority for increased protection occurred in warm, lowland domains, particularly in drier environments, where both indigenous cover and protected areas are of minimal geographic extent. Such results underline the considerable potential of an environmental classification to provide a landscape context for systematic conservation management, particularly in environments where the natural ecosystem pattern has been severely modified by human activity.     

城市热岛效应研究进展

作为现代城市气候主要特征之一的城市热岛效应有日渐严重的趋势。文章综述了城市热岛的生态环境效应、热岛的主要形成机制、时空分布特征等研究状况和发展趋势；基于当前城市热岛研究的现状，提出了未来城市热岛效应研究的方向及缓解城市热岛效应的有关对策。     

试论湖北省伏旱的环流特征

通过对湖北省几个典型伏旱年的同期环流特征的分析,揭示了与湖北严重伏旱灾害密切联系的几中大气环流系统,并进行了分型。指出,造成严重伏旱的主要天气系统有西太平洋副热高压,西风带环流和西太平洋台风,并根据伏旱期大气环流的不同型式,将造成湖北伏旱的环流特征主要归结为两类,一是副高势力强盛,西伸强烈,稳定控制长江中下游地区;中高纬度向环流占优势;台风活动较少,另一类是副高压势力较弱,主体位于太平洋面上空,西     

陕西省干旱灾害的农业风险评估

分析了陕西干旱发生的时空规律,以缺水率划分干旱标准,评价陕西各季农业干旱状况,并对1949～1990年共42a粮食产量序列进行滑动平均模拟,以粮食减产百分率评估全省干旱灾害等级,得出干旱损失评估模式,使陕西干旱灾害的评估由定性到定量,为其它灾害的定量评估提供了经验。     

陕西省农业旱灾系统及农业旱灾灾情模型研究

为试图解决当前有关干旱（旱灾）指标的片面性,本文提出了农业旱灾系统（ＡＤＳ）,并设计了描述农业旱灾灾情的模型：Ｅ＝ｋ＊Ｍ＊Ｈ＊Ａ。农业旱灾系统由气象干旱（Ｍ）、水利抗旱（Ｈ）、农业承旱（Ａ）及农业旱灾灾情（Ｅ）等四个要素组成。每一要素均由若干区域性指标进行刻划。在分析陕西省农业旱灾特点的同时,建立了陕西省农业旱灾系统的框架,并利用各种资料分析了陕西省农业旱灾灾情。分析结果表明,由该模型计算的陕西省各县级单位的农业旱灾灾情和几十年来的实际资料是相吻合的,模型是可靠的。而且,通过模型和实际情况的对比,能够为研究农业旱灾灾情形成机制提供更好的佐证。     

气候变化对莱州湾地区水资源脆弱性的影响

论文首先分析了在现状年(1993年)供水能力和需水条件下,1960～1993年的气候波动对莱州湾地区水资源供需平衡和脆弱性的影响。然后根据未来气候情景分析了在2000规划年和2020规划年供水能力和需水要求下,未来气候变化(2000～2042年)对水资源供需平衡及脆弱性的影响。在农业需水保证率50%时,2000～2019年水资源供需基本平衡,但2020～2042年水资源短缺20～57亿m³。若考虑未来气温的上升,则水资源短缺进一步加大。因此,2020年以后需在调入56亿m³客水资源基础上,从区外调入更多稳定的水量以保证该地区社会经济的可持续发展。