A fungal perspective on conservation biology

Hitherto fungi have rarely been considered in conservation biology, but this is changing as the field moves from addressing single species issues to an integrative ecosystem‐based approach. The current emphasis on biodiversity as a provider of ecosystem services throws the spotlight on the vast diversity of fungi, their crucial roles in terrestrial ecosystems, and the benefits of considering fungi in concert with animals and plants. We reviewed the role of fungi in ecosystems and composed an overview of the current state of conservation of fungi. There are 5 areas in which fungi can be readily integrated into conservation: as providers of habitats and processes important for other organisms; as indicators of desired or undesired trends in ecosystem functioning; as indicators of habitats of conservation value; as providers of powerful links between human societies and the natural world because of their value as food, medicine, and biotechnological tools; and as sources of novel tools and approaches for conservation of megadiverse organism groups. We hope conservation professionals will value the potential of fungi, engage mycologists in their work, and appreciate the crucial role of fungi in nature. Una Perspectiva Micótica de la Biología de la Conservación     

长江三角洲跨界流域生态产品交易机制——以天目湖流域为例

生态价值多元化实现是落实区域一体化生态保护格局的经济政策保障。针对当前生态产品交易制度不完善与市场活跃度问题,以天目湖流域水质净化服务产品为例,提出一条生态保护市场化与生态产品增值的双向促进道路：基于长序列监测数据与水文水质过程模型,提出流域生态保护基准概念及其约束下生态产品交易边界,精准核算基准年水质净化产品的可交易量为1.37 t,基准价格为1186.71万元/t/年;面向近10年产品实际供需主体的内在联系,揭示了“三类五种”生态产品交易机制类型,并选择设计了低端产品退出—高端产品激励的典型交易模式。生态产品交易实施为研究区生态价值实现提供市场化路径,为国内同类地区一体化生态保护格局保障提供思路。     

可燃物化学性质对燃烧释放PM2.5元素成分的影响

通过自主设计的燃烧装置,对云南省6种典型乔木树种的不同器官(枝、叶、皮)室内模拟阴、明燃两种燃烧过程,收集燃烧排放颗粒物(PM_2.5)并测定K、Mg等8种元素排放因子,比较不同燃烧状态释放PM_2.5中元素含量的差异,同时分析各元素排放因子与可燃物自身元素含量之间的相关性.结果表明:可燃物中K、Mg和Ca元素含量较高,范围为(137.74~4670.70) mg/kg,微量元素Mn含量突出;阔叶可燃物元素含量普遍高于针叶,器官间元素含量差异显著;燃烧释放PM_2.5中K、Na元素排放因子较高,范围为(0.4269~4.9321)~(0.6311~3.0856) mg/kg,微量元素Zn较高、Cu最少,范围为(0.0409~0.3670)~(0.0029~0.0458) mg/kg,常量元素高于微量;树种间元素排放因子表现针叶高于阔叶,器官间较可燃物自身差异增大;燃烧状态对排放因子存在影响,常量元素普遍表现为明燃>阴燃,微量元素无明显规律;PM_2.5与可燃物各元素含量比值中,Na元素最高,其余元素占比普遍0~1%范围,微量元素含量比高于常量,针叶高于阔叶;可燃物的化学性质对其排放特性影响显著,可燃物与PM_2.5的元素间相关性较高,相关水平普遍达0.600以上,器官间不同元素相关水平表现为:常量元素普遍高于微量元素,针叶略高于阔叶,叶>皮>枝,明燃高于阴燃.     

基于MGWR的黄河流域土壤有机碳密度和影响因素分析

土壤有机碳作为最大陆地碳库,其空间分布特征和影响因素对于全球碳循环过程具有重要影响.基于土壤有机碳密度数据,结合环境因子,使用多尺度地理加权回归（MGWR）模型预测了黄河流域土壤有机碳密度（SOCD）和影响因素.结果表明：①黄河流域0~20 cm和0~100 cm的SOCD范围分别为0~14.82 kg ·m^-2和0~32.39kg ·m^-2,均值分别为3.48 kg ·m^-2和8.07kg ·m^-2,储量则分别为2.76 Pg和6.48 Pg;②各生态系统类型中,0~20 cm的SOCD从大到小依次为：森林>水体与湿地>其他>草地>农田>聚落>荒漠,0~100 cm的SOCD从大到小依次为：水体与湿地>森林>其他>草地>农田>聚落>荒漠,SOCR从大到小皆为：草地>农田>森林>荒漠>水体与湿地>聚落>其他;③黄河流域SOCD的分布主要受常数项、剖面曲率、NDVI和降水的影响,曲率和粉砂对深层的SOCD的分布也具有重要影响;此外,降水、NDVI和常数项（除森林外）是影响各生态系统的主要因素,曲率和粉砂则仅对荒漠和其他生态系统具有重要影响.研究结果得出了黄河流域SOCD的空间分布和影响因素,可为黄河流域碳平衡、土壤质量评价和生态治理恢复与巩固提升提供科学依据.     

塔里木河流域生态系统特征及其管理面临的问题分析

基于塔里木河流域生态系统特征,分析塔里木河流域生态系统管理面临的主要问题.①农业开发大量挤占生态用水,威胁流域生态系统安全;②流域农药使用量增长1.78倍,化肥使用量增长2.06倍,工业SO2排放量增长5.93倍,城镇污水量增长0.23倍,下游水质严重超标;③水资源利用效率仅为6.79元/m3,远低于新疆平均水平;④人口和种植规模年均增长11％以上,突破流域水资源承载力.从综合生态管理体制、生态资源市场交易机制、生态立法三方面提出塔里木河流域生态系统管理新方向.     

A General Equilibrium Model of Ecosystem Services in a River Basin

This study builds a general equilibrium model of ecosystem services, with sectors of the economy competing for use of the environment. The model recognizes that production processes in the real world require a combination of natural and human inputs, and understanding the value of these inputs and their competing uses is necessary when considering policies of resource conservation. We demonstrate the model with a numerical example of the Mississippi‐Atchafalaya river basin, in which grain production in the upper basin causes hypoxia that causes damages to the downstream fishing industry. We show that the size of damages is dependent on both environmental and economic shocks. While the potential damages to fishing are large, most of the damage occurs from economic forces rather than a more intensive use of nitrogen fertilizers. We show that these damages are exacerbated by increases in rainfall, which will likely get worse with climate change. We discuss welfare effects from a tax on nitrogen fertilizers and investments in riparian buffers. A 3% nitrogen tax would reduce the size of the hypoxic zone by 11% at a cost of 2% of Iowa's corn output. In comparison, riparian buffers are likely to be less costly and more popular politically.     

Motivations for Conserving Urban Biodiversity

Abstract: In a time of increasing urbanization, the fundamental value of conserving urban biodiversity remains controversial. How much of a fixed budget should be spent on conservation in urban versus nonurban landscapes? The answer should depend on the goals that drive our conservation actions, yet proponents of urban conservation often fail to specify the motivation for protecting urban biodiversity. This is an important shortcoming on several fronts, including a missed opportunity to make a stronger appeal to those who believe conservation biology should focus exclusively on more natural, wilder landscapes. We argue that urban areas do offer an important venue for conservation biology, but that we must become better at choosing and articulating our goals. We explored seven possible motivations for urban biodiversity conservation: preserving local biodiversity, creating stepping stones to nonurban habitat, understanding and facilitating responses to environmental change, conducting environmental education, providing ecosystem services, fulfilling ethical responsibilities, and improving human well‐being. To attain all these goals, challenges must be faced that are common to the urban environment, such as localized pollution, disruption of ecosystem structure, and limited availability of land. There are, however, also challenges specific only to particular goals, meaning that different goals will require different approaches and actions. This highlights the importance of specifying the motivations behind urban biodiversity conservation. If the goals are unknown, progress cannot be assessed.     

Is climate-smart conservation feasible in Europe? Spatial relations of protected areas,soil carbon,and land values

The expectations on protected areas to deliver not only biodiversity conservation but also to provide an array of different ecosystem services rise. Sequestration and storage of carbon are promising services that protected areas may provide. This study integrates spatially explicit data on terrestrial Natura 2000 sites, soil organic carbon, and agricultural land values to estimate the potential for climate-smart conservation planning in the European Union. The objectives of this study are to analyse spatial relations between protected areas soil carbon content, and land values on the European Union's land area as well as to locate and quantify the proportion of land with high carbon and low economic value within and outside protected areas. We apply a unique interdisciplinary framework with methods ranging from analyses based on geographical information systems, agricultural economics to statistics. Findings indicate that there is a significant overlap between Natura 2000 sites and regions with high carbon content across Europe. Statistical analyses show that carbon-rich regions have significantly lower land values than other areas. Our results suggest that biodiversity protection and mitigation of climate change through conservation of soil carbon could be simultaneously achieved in Europe's protected areas and beyond. We conclude that there is a notable potential for climate-smart conservation in Europe that needs further investigation.     

Ecological Survey of Coastal I Water Adjacent to Nuclear Power I Plants in Taiwan

A total of six nuclear reactors installed in three power plants, two along the northern and one along the southern coasts of Taiwan, started their operations one after another since October 1977. Owing to the large quantities of cooling water intake into and discharge from the plants, some environmental factors such as water temperature, chlorine, environmental radioactivity and nearshore currents may be significantly changed. Variations of these abiotic environmental factors may influence the biological activities in the ecosystem, particularly doing some kinds of damage to marine biological resources. Therefore, the possible environmental impact upon the biological systems including the fishery resources along the northern and southern coasts of Taiwan should be studied before and during the plant operation.

We have started the long-term programmes of biological, chemical and hydro-graphical surveys of the nuclear power plant sites on both northern (since July 1974) and southern (since July 1979) coasts of Taiwan. the survey items include ocean currents, physical and chemical properties of sea water, primary productivity, specific compositions and interspecific relationships among phyto- and zooplankton, algae, invertebrates, corals, and fishes; and radionuclides in water and biological specimens, and fishery statistics. in general, except for a few events, the operations of the six units of nuclear power plants have not produced detectable effects on the marine ecosystem. Radio activity levels and radionuclides in water and the biological specimens remained the same as background levels throughout the survey period. However, the events of coral bleaching and fish body anomalies caused by thermal discharges were observed respectively along the outlets of third and second Nuclear Power Plants. the purposes of this paper are to report and evaluate these two events during the operations of nuclear power plants in Taiwan.     

Assessing water ecosystem services for water resource management

Ecosystem service concepts can offer a valuable approach for linking human and nature, and arguments for the conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems. Despite an increasing interest in the topic, the application of these concepts for water resource management has been hampered by the lack of practical definitions and methodologies. In this study we review and analyse the current literature and propose an approach for assessing and valuing ecosystem services in the context of water management. In particular, to study the link between multiple pressures, ecological status and delivery of ecosystem services in aquatic ecosystems under different scenarios of measures or future changes. This is of interest for the development of River Basin Management Plans under the EU Water Framework Directive. We provide a list of proxies/indicators of natural capacity, actual flow and social benefit for the biophysical assessment of the ecosystem services. We advocate the use of indicators of sustainability, combining information on capacity and flow of services. We also suggest methods for economic valuation of aquatic ecosystem for each service and spatial scale of application. We argue that biophysical assessment and economic valuation should be conducted jointly to account for the different values of ecosystem services (ecologic, social and economic) and to strengthen the recognition of human dependency on nature. The proposed approach can be used for assessing the benefits of conservation and restoration of aquatic ecosystems in the implementation of the EU water policy.