Risk taking during parental care: a test of three hypotheses applied to the pied flycatcher

According to life-history theory, there will often be a conflict between investment in current versus future reproduction. If a predator appears during breeding, parents must make a compromise between ensuring the growth and survival of offspring (nest defence, feeding and brooding of young), and reducing the risk of predation to ensure their own survival. We model three hypotheses for the outcome of this conflict which are particularly relevant for altricial birds. They are not mutually exclusive, but focus on different costs and benefits. (1) Parental investment is determined by the parents’ own risk of predation. This hypothesis predicts that a lone parent should take smaller risks than a parent that has a mate. (2) Parental investment is related to the reproductive value of the offspring: Parents are predicted to take greater risks for larger broods, larger-sized or older offspring. (3) Finally, we present the new hypothesis that parental investment is related to the harm that offspring would suffer during a period of no parental care (incubation, brooding, feeding). This hypothesis predicts that parents should take greater risks for younger offspring, or for offspring in poorer condition, because the marginal benefit of parental care is largest in such cases. Hence, one may also expect that lone parents should take greater risks than two parents because their offspring are more in need of care. We tested these hypotheses on the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) by presenting a stuffed predator of the parents (a sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus) close to the nest when parents were feeding the young. Risk taking was measured as the time that elapsed until the first visit to the nest. Most support was found for the ‘‘harm to offspring’’ hypothesis. Previous studies have usually measured the intensity of nest defence against typical nest predators, and have found evidence for the ‘‘reproductive value of offspring’’ hypothesis. However, our model predicts that the importance of the reproductive value of the offspring should decrease relative to the harm that offspring would suffer if they were not cared for when the predator type changes from a nest predator to a predator of adults, and when conditions for breeding turn from good to bad. Received: 13 April 1995/Accepted after revision: 11 March 1996     

铜、砷在水稻－土壤体系中的迁移及其对水稻影响的研究

通过盆栽试验和现场布点试验，研究了铜、砷在水稻－土壤体系中迁移的规律。结果表明，该体系对铜、砷污染具有相当大的缓解作用；土壤中水溶性可交换态铜、砷含量很低；铜、砷主要累积在水稻根部；土壤中铜、砷相互有拮抗作用，确定土壤铜、砷临界值应考虑多因素综合作用。     

生态住宅和生态住区 (Ⅱ)健康、自然与环境保护

围绕生态住宅和住区的5大主题(健康、自然和环境保护、生态良性循环、风水、生态文明)中的健康与自然和环境保护2个主题,从建材、布局和结构、服务与管理4个方面阐述维护人的身心和环境健康;从合理利用和保护水、土、气、生物多样性等生态资产和生态服务功能方面阐述保护自然和环境的内容和措施.     

屋顶绿化生态系统箱的研制

调查发现广州市屋顶自然生长的维管植物有49科109属128种,植物种类较多的科为菊科、禾本科、桑科、景天科、茜草科和鸭跖草科;屋顶自然生长的植物种类数量与环境受污染程度成反比,而与周围植物的多少成正比;屋顶自然生长的植物由于长期适应屋顶的极端环境,形成了的一些独特的生态生物学特征。基于上述结果配置相应的植物组合,设计适于屋顶绿化的生态系统箱、配制相应土壤并进行技术集成,观测其生长和隔热效应。同时进行空白对照、黑网荫蓬对照、生态隔热层对照、普通土壤种植区对比试验,发现生态隔热层和生态系统箱具有成本低、易维持、隔热好、景观美的效果。     

黄河三角洲及珠江三角洲生态足迹分析

利用遥感解译数据,分析了解珠江三角洲及黄河三角洲自然资本的供需状况,通过分析两大三角洲地区的生态足迹,探讨在经济发展程度不同的情况下,人类对生态环境的影响程度。并借鉴珠江三角洲经济发展过程中出现的问题,对黄河三角洲今后发展可能出现的问题提出预防措施,以减少对资源的不合理需求,提出正确的功能定位,制定正确的发展方向。研究结果表明,(1)黄河三角洲和珠江三角洲的生态足迹需求均高于全国0.8hm2/人的平均水平,珠江三角洲地区生态足迹需求为1.5403hm2/人;黄河三角洲地区生态足迹需求为1.3514hm2/人。(2)化石燃料的供需状况是影响两大三角洲地区生态赤字的关键因素,珠江三角洲地区对化石燃料的需求占总生态足迹需求的72.67%,位居全国第一位;黄河三角洲地区对化石燃料的需求占总生态足迹需求的49.85%。(3)珠江三角洲除林地尚有少量生态盈余外,其他生态足迹需求均存在明显的生态赤字。受城市化及工业化进程的影响,黄河三角洲化石燃料用地和耕地资源已出现生态赤字。(4)与西方一些发达国家相比,两大三角洲的生态足迹均呈现“低需求,低供给”的特点。     

水生态修复对莲花湖底栖动物群落的影响

武汉莲花湖是典型的富营养化城市浅水湖泊．通过对其进行16mo的监测后发现，治理后的小莲花湖比大莲花湖水质有明显改善．监测期间小莲花湖底栖动物密度和生物量均值明显高于大莲花湖，Shannon多样性指数与Margalef多样性指数也高于大莲花湖．将大、小莲花湖的10种环境因子和底栖动物密度进行典型相关分析后，发现总磷、温度、总氮、叶绿素a、氨离子是对底栖动物群落具有显著性影响的环境因子．图8表3参20.     

厌氧发酵过程pH对微生物多样性和产物分布的影响

采用PCR-DGGE技术,研究了不同pH条件下蔬菜类有机垃圾厌氧发酵过程中的微生物多样性,探讨了微生物群落结构与发酵产物分布的关系.Shannon指数分析表明,pH=7和pH=8时的微生物多样性较高,随时间变化规律相似,而pH=5时的微生物多样性较低.UPGMA聚类分析和PCA分析结果也表明,pH=7和pH=8时的微生物群落结构相似,pH=5与之显著不同.在不同pH条件下的优势菌属都是乳酸细菌和梭菌。微生物多样性的变化与发酵产物分布具有一定相关性,pH通过影响微生物群落结构的变化最终影响发酵产物的分布.图4表2参27     

生态住宅的水环境规划:I. 水循环

生态住宅已成为住宅建设的发展趋势和潮流,水环境是生态住宅小区的重要组成部分。文章以中信保利达美景度假区为实例,根据度假区建筑总体规划方案,结合当地自然条件和水环境现状,探讨生态住宅小区的水环境规划,全面统一规划住宅小区内各种水系统,提出小区水环境总体规划方案,充分发挥各系统的功能,使其相互衔接、协调与补充。重点对项目所在区域开发前后的水量平衡,水库的水位变化及其安全性,极端气候条件下的库区水量变化及其因应对策,高尔夫球道的用水方案以及项目开发后的水循环模型做了深入探讨,旨在为生态住宅的水环境建设提供范例。     

生态经济学的价值观

农业产品因投入劳动和消耗自然界的资源形成价值。农业产品在生产和流通过程中，伴随其本身的价值，还会产生其经济效益。利用生态循环中可以再生的资源，可产生生态经济效益，运用先进的农业技术可产生技术经济效益，流通领域中的供求优势可产生社会经济效益。