Prehistoric Decline in Freshwater Mussels Coincident with the Advent of Maize Agriculture

Abstract:  During late prehistory, high population densities and intensive agricultural practices of Native American societies had profound effects on the pre-Columbian landscape. The degree to which Native American land use affected aquatic ecosystems is unknown. Freshwater mussels are particularly sensitive harbingers of modern-day ecosystem deterioration. We used data from prehistoric Native American shell middens to examine prehistoric trends in abundance of freshwater mussels of the genus Epioblasma in North America during the last 5000 years. The relative abundance of Epioblasma declined steadily during this period, a result that could be explained either by an increase in human impacts to streams or by long-term climatic changes unrelated to human activities. The rate of decline of Epioblasma increased significantly, however, after the advent of large-scale maize agriculture in the southeastern United States about 1000 years before the present. Our results suggest that human land-use activities in prehistory caused changes in freshwater mussel communities that were lower in magnitude but similar in direction to changes caused by recent activities.     

沼泽湿地N2O通量特征及N2O与CO2排放间的关系

对三江平原淡水沼泽湿地进行了连续4年的野外原位观测.结果表明,沼泽湿地冬季是N2O的汇,但从全年来看,仍为N2O排放的源.5～8月是N2O排放的主要时期.土壤温度是影响N2O通量季节变化的重要环境因素,生长季内的积水水位和土壤温度则会影响到N2O通量的年际变化;沼泽湿地N2O与CO2排放间相关性显著,促使二者间产生这种内在联系的因素包括温度、植物根系的作用、有机质分解的联系作用以及植物气孔行为的调节.     

Integrated Models of Fisheries Management and Policy

An overview of the structure and elements of integrated models aimed at studying fishery management policies using static and dynamic optimisation techniques is presented. Continuous and discrete time models are considered under both open-access and sole-owner settings. A variety of economic and biological processes that affect the fishery as a whole is examined. It turns out that overseeing important fish population characteristics such as metapopulation dynamics and multi-species interaction can lead to serious misrepresentation of the fishery and suboptimal controls. Adequate understanding of the economic conditions and considerations potentially affecting the fishermen is necessary to model their behaviour and address their concerns. Misrepresentation of these economic and biologic processes will have an impact on the success of management policies in attaining a sustainable fish population.     

Development of a Provisional Physical Habitat Index for Maryland Freshwater Streams

Provisional physical habitat indices were developed and validatedfor Maryland Coastal and Non-Coastal Plain streams using variables (commonly called metrics) that best discriminated reference and degraded conditions based on biological, chemicaland land use data from the 1994–97 Maryland Biological Stream Survey (MBSS). These habitat indices contained variables that described structural, hydrological, vegetative and aesthetic components of stream habitat. Variables with the best discriminatory power for Coastal Plain streams were: instream habitat, velocity/depth diversity, pool/glide/eddy quality, embeddedness, maximum depth and aesthetic rating. Physical habitat variables with the best discriminatory power for Non-Coastal Plain sites were: instream habitat, velocity/depth diversity, riffle/run quality, embeddedness, number of rootwads and aesthetic rating. The overall classification efficiency forindex validation was 76% for both indices pooled over both strata. Scaled physical habitat index values (0–100) for bothstrata identified nearly twice as many good sites (31%) as very poor sites (16%). More than half the Maryland sites werein the poor to fair range (53%).     

A Review of Habitat Connectivity Research for Pacific Salmon in Marine,Estuary, and Freshwater Environments

Long‐term conservation planning for diadromous fishes would benefit from a better understanding of both the role of connectivity among environments and habitat variability in the expression of life‐history diversity. Most of the scientific knowledge on habitat fragmentation and connectivity has been developed in terrestrial systems in the discipline of landscape ecology. Research on habitat connectivity in aquatic systems (e.g., salmonid research that spans the spectrum of habitats from freshwater to the sea) is uncommon and largely focused on barriers to fish passage. Here, we present a review of the literature characterizing current research patterns on habitat connectivity within and among environments for Pacific salmon. We found this topic is still incipient: the literature is dominated by studies of freshwaters, with few articles focusing on habitat needs in estuary and marine systems. Pan‐environment studies are rare, pointing to a gap in our understanding of complex habitat relationships that might be significant in the development of long‐term conservation and restoration plans for Pacific salmon, particularly in light of the potential impact of climate change.     

Antilysozyme Activity as a Factor of Algae Survival in Aquatic Biocenoses

Field and laboratory investigations were performed to study the distribution and functional significance of antilysozyme activity (ALA) in algal cultures. According to the results obtained, ALA as a trait is widespread among green and blue-green algae but is expressed to different extents. Experiments on the algae–zooplankters model showed that ALA is a factor facilitating the survival of algae in freshwater communities by promoting the establishment of their trophic and symbiotic relationships with other aquatic organisms. Analyzing the intrapopulation structure of algal cultures associated with zooplankters, it was shown that changes in the ALA of algal clones have adaptive significance, providing for a greater stability of algal populations in biocenoses.     

Terrestrial Reserve Networks Do Not Adequately Represent Aquatic Ecosystems

Abstract: Protected areas are a cornerstone of conservation and have been designed largely around terrestrial features. Freshwater species and ecosystems are highly imperiled, but the effectiveness of existing protected areas in representing freshwater features is poorly known. Using the inland waters of Michigan as a test case, we quantified the coverage of four key freshwater features (wetlands, riparian zones, groundwater recharge, rare species) within conservation lands and compared these with representation of terrestrial features. Wetlands were included within protected areas more often than expected by chance, but riparian zones were underrepresented across all (GAP 1–3) protected lands, particularly for headwater streams and large rivers. Nevertheless, within strictly protected lands (GAP 1–2), riparian zones were highly represented because of the contribution of the national Wild and Scenic Rivers Program. Representation of areas of groundwater recharge was generally proportional to area of the reserve network within watersheds, although a recharge hotspot associated with some of Michigan's most valued rivers is almost entirely unprotected. Species representation in protected areas differed significantly among obligate aquatic, wetland, and terrestrial species, with representation generally highest for terrestrial species and lowest for aquatic species. Our results illustrate the need to further evaluate and address the representation of freshwater features within protected areas and the value of broadening gap analysis and other protected‐areas assessments to include key ecosystem processes that are requisite to long‐term conservation of species and ecosystems. We conclude that terrestrially oriented protected‐area networks provide a weak safety net for aquatic features, which means complementary planning and management for both freshwater and terrestrial conservation targets is needed.     

Studies on Classification of Recreational Fishery Resources and Evaluation on its Development

Recreational fishery is the combination of traditional fishery and modern leisure activities. Development of recreational fishery resources must be based on related resources, but the present research on recreational fishery is mainly confined to the development of leisure projects, the definition of connotation and scope of recreational fishery resources is rather vague, and there is no precise classification and evaluation system. According to the resources attributes, resources functions, and tourism resources classification, investigation and evaluation standard, recreational fishery resources include a number of different types. Expert Scoring Method and Analytic Hierarchy Process can be used to determine the evaluation factors of recreational fishery resources and their weights, and then make comprehensive evaluation on recreational fishery resources of different regions and types, so as to improve the scientific nature of recreational fishery development.     

A Regional Perspective on the Diversity and Conservation of Tropical Andean Fishes

Abstract: The tropical Andes harbor an extraordinarily varied concentration of species in a landscape under increasing pressure from human activities. Conservation of the region's native plants and animals has received considerable international attention, but the focus has been on terrestrial biota. The conservation of freshwater fauna, particularly the conservation of fishes, has not been emphasized. Tropical Andean fishes are among the most understudied vertebrates in the world. We estimate that between 400 and 600 fish species inhabit the diverse aquatic environments in the region. Nearly 40% of these species are endemic. Tropical Andean fishes are vulnerable to ongoing environmental changes related to deforestation, water withdrawals, water pollution, species introductions, and hydropower development. Additionally, their distributions and population dynamics may be affected by hydrologic alterations and warmer water temperatures associated with projected climate change. Presently, at least three species are considered extinct, some populations are endangered, and some species are likely to decline or disappear. The long‐term persistence of tropical Andean fishes will depend on greater consideration of freshwater systems in regional conservation initiatives.