Effects of Exurban Development and Temperature on Bird Species in the Southern Appalachians

Land‐use dynamics and climatic gradients have large effects on many terrestrial systems. Exurban development, one of the fastest growing forms of land use in the United States, may affect wildlife through habitat fragmentation and building presence may alter habitat quality. We studied the effects of residential development and temperature gradients on bird species occurrence at 140 study sites in the southern Appalachian Mountains (North Carolina, U.S.A.) that varied with respect to building density and elevation. We used occupancy models to determine 36 bird species’ associations with building density, forest canopy cover, average daily mean temperature, and an interaction between building density and mean temperature. Responses varied with habitat requirement, breeding range, and migration distance. Building density and mean temperature were both included in the top occupancy models for 19 of 36 species and a building density by temperature interaction was included in models for 8 bird species. As exurban development expands in the southern Appalachians, interior forest species and Neotropical migrants are likely to decline, but shrubland or edge species are not likely to benefit. Overall, effects of building density were greater than those of forest canopy cover. Exurban development had a greater effect on birds at high elevations due to a greater abundance of sensitive forest‐interior species and Neotropical migrants. A warming climate may exacerbate these negative effects. Efectos del Desarrollo Exurbano y de la Temperatura sobre Especies de Aves en las Apalaches del Sur     

Fire Mosaics and Reptile Conservation in a Fire‐Prone Region

Fire influences the distribution of fauna in terrestrial biomes throughout the world. Use of fire to achieve a mosaic of vegetation in different stages of succession after burning (i.e., patch‐mosaic burning) is a dominant conservation practice in many regions. Despite this, knowledge of how the spatial attributes of vegetation mosaics created by fire affect fauna is extremely scarce, and it is unclear what kind of mosaic land managers should aim to achieve. We selected 28 landscapes (each 12.6 km²) that varied in the spatial extent and diversity of vegetation succession after fire in a 104,000 km² area in the semiarid region of southeastern Australia. We surveyed for reptiles at 280 sites nested within the 28 landscapes. The landscape‐level occurrence of 9 of the 22 species modeled was associated with the spatial extent of vegetation age classes created by fire. Biogeographic context and the extent of a vegetation type influenced 7 and 4 species, respectively. No species were associated with the diversity of vegetation ages within a landscape. Negative relations between reptile occurrence and both extent of recently burned vegetation (≤10 years postfire, n = 6) and long unburned vegetation (>35 years postfire, n = 4) suggested that a coarse‐grained mosaic of areas (e.g. >1000 ha) of midsuccessional vegetation (11–35 years postfire) may support the fire‐sensitive reptile species we modeled. This age class coincides with a peak in spinifex cover, a keystone structure for reptiles in semiarid and arid Australia. Maintaining over the long term a coarse‐grained mosaic of large areas of midsuccessional vegetation in mallee ecosystems will need to be balanced against the short‐term negative effects of large fires on many reptile species and a documented preference by species from other taxonomic groups, particularly birds, for older vegetation. Mosaicos de Fuego y la Conservación de Reptiles en una Región Propensa al Fuego     

基于CLUE-S和灰色线性规划的嘉兴北部土地利用优化配置研究

构建基于CLUE-S与灰色线性规划混合模型的土地利用优化配置方法,在导入区域政策、社会经济、生态目标和土地利用现状等条件下,进行土地利用数量结构与空间布局的统一优化,并以嘉兴北部地区为例进行实证研究,共设置现状趋势情景、规划目标情景和规划可持续情景这3种模拟情景.规划可持续情景侧重社会经济环境效益,故对建设用地快速增长和农用地持续减少起到明显调控作用,可实现生态敏感区环境和粮食安全的双重保护,是理想的土地利用优化方案.CLUE-S模型与灰色线性规划的耦合能够兼顾现状条件和区域发展目标,模拟土地利用的数量和空间变化,是解决土地资源优化配置问题的有效方法.     

Factors influencing property selection for conservation revolving funds

Finding sustainable ways to increase the amount of private land protected for biodiversity is challenging for many conservation organizations. In some countries, organizations use revolving‐fund programs, whereby land is purchased and then sold to conservation‐minded owners under condition they enter into a conservation covenant or easement. The sale proceeds are used to purchase, protect, and sell additional properties, incrementally increasing the amount of protected private land. Because the effectiveness of this approach relies on selecting appropriate properties, we explored factors currently considered by practitioners and how these are integrated into decision making. We conducted exploratory, semistructured interviews with managers from each of the 5 major revolving funds in Australia. Responses indicated although conservation factors are important, financial and social factors are also highly influential. A major determinant was whether the property could be resold within a reasonable period at a price that replenishes the fund. To facilitate resale, often selected properties include the potential for the construction of a dwelling. Practitioners face with clear trade‐offs between conservation, financial, amenity, and other factors in selecting properties and 3 main challenges: recovering the costs of acquisition, protection, and resale; reselling the property; and meeting conservation goals. Our findings suggest the complexity of these decisions may constrain revolving‐fund effectiveness. Drawing from participant responses, we identified potential strategies to mitigate these risks, such as providing adequate recreational space without jeopardizing ecological assets. We suggest managers could benefit from a shared‐learning and adaptive approach to property selection given the commonalities between programs. Understanding how practitioners deal with complex decisions in the implementation of revolving funds helps identify future research to improve the performance of this conservation tool.     

Causes of change in nitrophytic and oligotrophic lichen species in a Mediterranean climate: impact of land cover and atmospheric pollutants

With the aim of determining the main drivers of changes in nitrophytic and oligotrophic macro-lichen communities in an industrial region with a Mediterranean climate, we considered both land-cover types and atmospheric pollutants. We determined the relation between the abundance of nitrophytic and oligotrophic species with environmental factors considering the distance of influence of land-cover types. The results showed that oligotrophic species decreased in the proximity of artificial areas, barren land and agricultural areas, associated with higher concentrations of NO₂ and Zn, and Ti, probably dust of industrial and agricultural origin. Nitrophytic species were positively related to all the mentioned land-cover types, and with higher concentrations of Fe and N. Magnesium, probably from ocean aerosols, was negatively related to oligotrophic species and positively to nitrophytic.     

Monitoring of soil biochemical quality parameters under greenhouse spinach cultivation through animal waste recycling

Under the intensive agricultural system, direct application of animal slurries to soils can provide a sustainable disposal of these wastes by inducing positive changes in soil quality and fertility. However, how animal wastes quantitatively affect the key nutrients (C, N, P and S) transforming soil enzymes is not clearly known. A greenhouse spinach cultivation study demonstrated that pig slurry, either in raw (RS) or processed (aerobically aged) (PS) form, significantly (p?β-glucosidase (23–39%), urease (59–103%), nitrate reductase (73–103%) and dehydrogenase (27–72%)) and microbial growth in soil as compared to the unamended control. However, it did not significantly (p?>?.05) alter the aryl sulphatase enzyme activity. Slurry applications also significantly improved the macro (N, P and K) and micronutrients (Cu, Mn, Zn and Fe) uptake by spinach plant and hence the yield (2.9–3.38 times higher than control). Similarly, compared to chemical fertilisers the application of pig slurries improved soil biological and biochemical parameters as well as plant nutrients uptake. This study demonstrated the closing of global energy and nutrient cycles through land application of animal wastes without compromising the crop yield.     

Exploration of spatial morphometry and socioeconomic variables in modelling urban land use change

The incorporation of land use (LU) data with socioeconomic data is a main issue in modelling. This is as a result of difference in data model and scale. This study proposed and tested the change–pattern approach, which allows the incorporation of these data sets in modelling LU change. Focusing on LU dynamics for a selected part of the Thames Gateway within the City of London, the approach tested two different methods of input selection for the modelling operations. Variables selected from these two methods serve as inputs into several neural networks tested in order to identify the direction of change for each of the LU types within the study area. The result shows that direction of LU change across the study area could be identified when spatial morphology of the area and socioeconomic variables are considered. Some classes of change could be identified fairly accurately using landscape metrics indicating level of fragmentation, extent of LU patches, shape complexity of LU patches in combination with some socioeconomic variables.     

Approaches and terminology for causal analysis in land systems science

Research into land and social-ecological systems science could benefit from improved clarity in the terminology used for causal analysis and a structured way to make causal inferences. Here I identify two aspects of causality, i.e. causal effects and causal mechanisms, and discuss explanation in historical sciences. I then propose definitions for the major terms used for causal relations, including driver, (spatial) determinant, location and contextual factor, proximate and underlying factors. Finally, I discuss the contribution of various operational approaches, including time series and counterfactual approaches for assessing causal effects and process-tracing approaches for establishing causal mechanisms. Having a coherent concept of causality, agreeing on a precise vocabulary and harnessing our tools with the clear purpose of establishing both causal effects and causal mechanisms should strengthen causal explanations for single cases, for drawing policy-relevant lessons and for theoretical development in relation to land and, more broadly, social-ecological systems processes.     

典型地区农用地污染调查及风险管控标准探讨

针对《土壤污染风险管控标准——农用地土壤污染风险管控标准》(GB 15618—2018),提出以土壤中全量浓度筛选值和管控值作为衡量农用地土壤污染风险管控的标准,对湖南省部分稻田农用地土壤及点对点稻米样品中镉、铅、砷、汞的总量和有效态浓度及稻米中含量进行监测,根据重金属总量浓度分为低风险、中风险、高风险3组。结果显示:(1)土壤及稻米中镉含量基本为随着风险级别的升高而增加,铅、砷在土壤和稻米中含量无规律性结果,汞监测结果均为未检出。(2)低风险组稻米镉超标率为12. 0%,高风险组稻米镉达标率为33. 3%,表明利用总量浓度对农用地土壤潜在风险进行分组存在一定的局限性。(3)依据4种重金属在土壤中总量及稻米(早稻)中含量情况,对风险级别进行调整并综合判断:有58个样品为低风险组,占样品总数的68. 2%,超标率为零;有15个样品为中风险组,占样品总数的17. 7%,超标率为80. 0%;有12个样品为高风险组,占样品总数的14. 1%,超标率为100. 0%。调整后评价结果与上述标准的划分目标更接近,能够提高上述标准的准确性和实用性。     

SR系统工艺设计的几个必备要素：石屏县城市污水土地处理工程例析

在ＳＲ污水土地处理系统工艺设计中，处理场地的环境特征、限制性设计参数、作物选型及预处理方式的选择等决定了该系统运动的成败，应合理分析各必备要素以指导设计中参数的选择，达到污水处理与资源化的有机结合。