Assessing the Potential to Restore Historic Grazing Ecosystems with Tortoise Ecological Replacements

The extinction of large herbivores, often keystone species, can dramatically modify plant communities and impose key biotic thresholds that may prevent an ecosystem returning to its previous state and threaten native biodiversity. A potentially innovative, yet controversial, landscape‐based long‐term restoration approach is to replace missing plant‐herbivore interactions with non‐native herbivores. Aldabran giant (Aldabrachelys gigantea) and Madagascan radiated (Astrochelys radiata) tortoises, taxonomically and functionally similar to the extinct Mauritian giant tortoises (Cylindraspis spp.), were introduced to Round Island, Mauritius, in 2007 to control the non‐native plants that were threatening persistence of native species. We monitored the response of the plant community to tortoise grazing for 11 months in enclosures before the tortoises were released and, compared the cost of using tortoises as weeders with the cost of using manual labor. At the end of this period, plant biomass; vegetation height and cover; and adult, seedling, flower, and seed abundance were 3–136 times greater in adjacent control plots than in the tortoise enclosures. After their release, the free‐roaming tortoises grazed on most non‐native plants and significantly reduced vegetation cover, height, and seed production, reflecting findings from the enclosure study. The tortoises generally did not eat native species, although they consumed those native species that increased in abundance following the eradication of mammalian herbivores. Our results suggest that introduced non‐native tortoises are a more cost‐effective approach to control non‐native vegetation than manual weeding. Numerous long‐term outcomes (e.g., change in species composition and soil seed bank) are possible following tortoise releases. Monitoring and adaptive management are needed to ensure that the replacement herbivores promote the recovery of native plants. Estudiando el Potencial para Restaurar Ecosistemas Históricos de Forrajeo con Reemplazos Ecológicos de Tortugas Terrestres     

Conservation practitioners’ understanding of how to manage evolutionary processes

Both academics and practitioners consider a lack of knowledge about evolutionary theory to be a general barrier to effectively managing genetic diversity. However, it is challenging to judge practitioners’ level of understanding and how this influences their management decisions. Knowledge built through experience may be difficult for practitioners to articulate, but could nonetheless result in appropriate management strategies. To date, researchers have assessed only the explicit (formal) knowledge practitioners have of evolutionary concepts. To explore practitioners’ understanding of evolutionary concepts, it is necessary to consider how they might apply explicit and implicit knowledge to their management decisions. Using an online survey, we asked Australian practitioners to respond to 2 common management scenarios in which there is strong evidence that managing genetic diversity can improve outcomes: managing small, isolated populations and sourcing seeds for restoration projects. In describing their approach to these scenarios, practitioners demonstrated a stronger understanding of the effective management of genetic diversity than the definitions of the relevant concepts. However, their management of genetic diversity within small populations was closer to best practice than for restoration projects. Moreover, the risks practitioners described in implementing best practice management were more likely to affect their approach to restoration than translocation projects. These findings provide evidence that strategies to build the capacity of practitioners to manage genetic diversity should focus on realistic management scenarios. Given that practitioners recognize the importance of adapting their practices and the strong evidence for the benefits of actively managing genetic diversity, there is hope that better engagement by evolutionary biologists with practitioners could facilitate significant shifts toward evolutionarily enlightened management.     

Evaluating complementary networks of restoration plantings for landscape‐scale occurrence of temporally dynamic species

Multibillion dollar investments in land restoration make it critical that conservation goals are achieved cost‐effectively. Approaches developed for systematic conservation planning offer opportunities to evaluate landscape‐scale, temporally dynamic biodiversity outcomes from restoration and improve on traditional approaches that focus on the most species‐rich plantings. We investigated whether it is possible to apply a complementarity‐based approach to evaluate the extent to which an existing network of restoration plantings meets representation targets. Using a case study of woodland birds of conservation concern in southeastern Australia, we compared complementarity‐based selections of plantings based on temporally dynamic species occurrences with selections based on static species occurrences and selections based on ranking plantings by species richness. The dynamic complementarity approach, which incorporated species occurrences over 5 years, resulted in higher species occurrences and proportion of targets met compared with the static complementarity approach, in which species occurrences were taken at a single point in time. For equivalent cost, the dynamic complementarity approach also always resulted in higher average minimum percent occurrence of species maintained through time and a higher proportion of the bird community meeting representation targets compared with the species‐richness approach. Plantings selected under the complementarity approaches represented the full range of planting attributes, whereas those selected under the species‐richness approach were larger in size. Our results suggest that future restoration policy should not attempt to achieve all conservation goals within individual plantings, but should instead capitalize on restoration opportunities as they arise to achieve collective value of multiple plantings across the landscape. Networks of restoration plantings with complementary attributes of age, size, vegetation structure, and landscape context lead to considerably better outcomes than conventional restoration objectives of site‐scale species richness and are crucial for allocating restoration investment wisely to reach desired conservation goals.     

A review of recent developments in lake modelling

This paper reviews the lake models published the last five years, mainly in Ecological Modelling. The review shows that structurally dynamic modelling and coupling between hydrodynamic and ecological models are applied increasingly. A number of processes that have not been included in lake models before have been proposed. It has been shown that these additional processes in specific case studies are significant, for instance the competition between phytoplankton and macrophytes or cyanobacteria growth and growth of mussels. It is recommended to study these models for the development of models for case studies where these processes are relevant.     

铜陵新桥矿区土壤中耐Cu微生物的筛选研究

选择安徽铜陵新桥矿区富Cu的污染土壤,充分利用微生物受自然环境重金属胁迫而产生耐性这一特点,进行土壤中耐Cu微生物的筛选研究。实验过程中分别配制三种不同的培养基,细菌、真菌和放线菌培养基。在水浴恒温振荡器中对土壤中耐受重金属的微生物进行驯化,将得到的对cu2＋耐受性最高的液体培养基作为菌源,在琼脂平板培养基上进行划线分离,并将得到的纯菌株在光学显微镜下进行形态观察,菌种经试管斜面富集培养后保存在4℃冰箱中以便后续使用。研究发现,土样中细菌和真菌对cu的耐受性低,最高耐受质量浓度分别只达到500mg·L-1和1100mg·L-1。而放线菌表现出cu高耐受性,分离得到的放线菌耐受Cu的质量浓度最高达到10000mg·L-1,初步鉴定该放线菌株为链霉菌属。该放线菌菌种可能同时对Cu有吸附降解特性,具有成为污染土壤生物治理的高效耐受吸附菌种的潜力巨大。     

不同特性底质对沉水植物恢复生长的影响

通过室内模拟实验,研究了3种土壤基质（沙土、粘土和腐殖土）分别与河岸边土壤按5个质量分数（5%、10%、30%、50%和80%）掺混形成的不同成分底质分别对菹草（Potamogeton crispus）、轮叶黑藻（Hydrilla verticillata）和微齿眼子菜（Potamogeton maackianus）顶枝断枝恢复生长的影响。结果表明：（1）在3种基质与岸边土壤掺混的底质上,实验结束时菹草的平均最高植株分别出现在5%SA（沙土与岸边土掺混）底质、50%NA（粘土与岸边土掺混）底质和10%FA（腐殖土与岸边土掺混）底质,株高分别达到30、48和45 cm;轮叶黑藻的平均最高植株分别出现在10%SA底质、50%NA底质和30%FA底质,株高分别达到47、82和59 cm;微齿眼子菜在3种基质掺混的底质上植株株高几乎没有增高;（2）生长于同种底质的植株,单位高度上菹草的生物量大于轮叶黑藻,微齿眼子菜的生物量几乎没有增加。因此,适宜菹草和轮叶黑藻恢复生长的基质顺序为粘土〉腐殖土〉沙土,微齿眼子菜在3种基质掺混的底质上几乎没有生长;植株对于特性底质适应性强弱的顺序依次为轮叶黑藻〉菹草〉微齿眼子菜。     

Recovery of Endemic Dragonflies after Removal of Invasive Alien Trees

Abstract:  Because dragonflies are very sensitive to alien trees , we assessed their response to large-scale restoration of riparian corridors. We compared three types of disturbance regime—alien invaded , cleared of alien vegetation , and natural vegetation (control)—and recorded data on 22 environmental variables. The most significant variables in determining dragonfly assemblages were percentage of bank cover and tree canopy cover , which indicates the importance of vegetation architecture for these dragonflies. This finding suggests that it is important to restore appropriate marginal vegetation and sunlight conditions. Recovery of dragonfly assemblages after the clearing of alien trees was substantial. Species richness and abundance at restored sites matched those at control sites. Dragonfly assemblage patterns reflected vegetation succession. Thus , initially eurytopic , widespread species were the main beneficiaries of the removal of alien trees , and stenotopic , endemic species appeared after indigenous vegetation recovered over time. Important indicator species were the two national endemics ( Allocnemis leucosticta and Pseudagrion furcigerum ) , which , along with vegetation type , can be used to monitor return of overall integrity of riparian ecology and to make management decisions. Endemic species as a whole responded positively to restoration , which suggests that indigenous vegetation recovery has major benefits for irreplaceable and widespread generalist species .     

采砂迹地型湿地恢复过程中植物群落分布与土壤环境因子的关系

利用TWINSPAN（双向指示种分析）和CCA排序（典范对应分析）的方法,对北京西卓家营采砂迹地型退化湿地植被进行了群落类型划分,并探讨了湿地植被空间分布与土壤环境因子关系,确定了影响湿地植被空间分布的关键因子。结果表明：38个样方40个植物种可划分为7个群落类型,即茭白＋针蔺群落（Zizania latifolia＋Eleocharis congesta）;牛鞭草＋旋覆花＋野艾蒿＋竹节灯心草＋茵陈蒿＋扁杆藨草群落（Hemarthria sibirica＋Inula japonica＋Artemisia lavandulifolia＋Juncus turczaninowii＋Artemisia capillaries＋Scirpus planiculmis）;千屈菜＋苣荬菜＋小香蒲群落（Lythrum salicaria＋Herba Sonchi Brachyoti＋Typha minima）;竹节灯心草＋问荆＋酸模叶蓼＋芦苇群落（Juncus turczaninowii＋Equisetum arvense＋Polygonum lapathifolium＋Phragmites australis）;针蔺＋扁杆藨草＋茵陈蒿＋野艾蒿群落（Eleocharis congesta＋Scirpus planiculmis＋Artemisia capillaries＋Artemisia lavandulifolia）;鬼针草＋狗尾草＋香蒲群落（Bidens pilosa＋Setaria viridis＋Typha orientalis）和朝天委陵菜＋猪毛菜＋大刺儿菜＋稗群落（Potentilla supine＋Salsola collina＋Cephalanoplos setosum＋Echinochloa crusgalli）。植物群落物种和土壤因子的CCA分析表明：益母草、大车前、猪毛菜主要受土壤pH的影响;茭白主要受氨氮、土壤有机质（SOM）的影响;马唐、鸡眼草主要受土壤全氮（TN）和Mg2＋的影响;针蔺、狼杷草受土壤K＋的影响;苦苣菜、苣荬菜、牛鞭草主要受土壤Na＋的影响;黄香草木犀主要受土壤Cl-的影响;灰绿藜、大刺儿菜、球穗莎草主要受土壤NO3-的影响;扁杆藨草、小香蒲主要受全磷（TP）和含水率的影响。研究结论将为采砂迹地型湿地恢复提供科学支持。     

·OH自由基介导2,4-二氯酚光降解机理及产物毒性变化特征的理论研究

由于2,4-二氯酚(2,4-dichlorophenol,简称2,4-DCP)具有"三致"作用及潜在的生态风险,其光化学降解机理及产物的生态毒理效应目前成为人们关注的焦点。本研究采用理论化学计算手段,系统阐明了2,4-DCP在水环境中·OH介导的间接光化学转化机理、动力学和转化产物的生态毒性变化特征。结果表明2,4-DCP很容易被·OH氧化降解,其降解主要通过·OH-加成和H-迁移路径进行。在低温条件下·OH-加成路径将占主导,主要形成4,6-二氯苯-1,3-二酚;而当温度超过313 K时,·OH提取酚羟基上的氢原子为主要降解途径,主要形成2-氯苯-对苯醌。尤其在活性物种浓度较低的高温环境中,H-迁移路径有可能生成二噁英。计算毒理学结果表明:H-迁移产物的水生毒性超过·OH-加成产物,甚至超出母体2,4-DCP一个毒性等级。因此,我们建议在以后的环境监测以及风险评估过程中,关注2,4-DCP及其转化产物特别是H-迁移路径的转化产物的生态毒理学问题。     

Nitro polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in atmospheric particulate matter of Athens,Greece

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitro polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (N-PAHs) are chemical species of proven mutant and carcinogenic activity. In this study, the concentrations of seven different N-PAHs [2-nitronaphthalene (2N-NAP), 2-nitroflourene (2N-FLU), 2-nitroflouranthene (2N-FLA), 3-nitroflouranthene (3N-FLA), 1-nitropyrene (1N-PYR) and 2-nitropyrene (2N-PYR)] were determined in two fractions of atmospheric particulate matter from the atmosphere of Athens: coarse (2.4 μm?10 μm ) and fine (<2.4 μm ). 3N-FLA was not detected, whereas 1N-PYR, mostly originating from emissions from burning fuel, showed the maximum observed concentrations for both fractions and for the whole experimental period (especially during winter). In addition, 2N-FLA, a secondary nitro-PAH produced by photochemical reactions, showed relatively high values. Analysis of statistical data for N-PAH concentrations, using clustering technique, showed that: (1) 1N-NAP, 2N-FLU and 1N-PYR are mainly produced by direct burning; and (2) photochemical reactions are the dominant sources of 2N-NAP, 2N-PYR and 2N-FLA.