Demographic Consequences of Terrestrial Habitat Loss for Pool‐Breeding Amphibians: Predicting Extinction Risks Associated with Inadequate Size of Buffer Zones

Abstract: Much of the biodiversity associated with isolated wetlands requires aquatic and terrestrial habitat to maintain viable populations. Current federal wetland regulations in the United States do not protect isolated wetlands or extend protection to surrounding terrestrial habitat. Consequently, some land managers, city planners, and policy makers at the state and local levels are making an effort to protect these wetland and neighboring upland habitats. Balancing human land‐use and habitat conservation is challenging, and well‐informed land‐use policy is hindered by a lack of knowledge of the specific risks of varying amounts of habitat loss. Using projections of wood frog (Rana sylvatica) and spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) populations, we related the amount of high‐quality terrestrial habitat surrounding isolated wetlands to the decline and risk of extinction of local amphibian populations. These simulations showed that current state‐level wetland regulations protecting 30 m or less of surrounding terrestrial habitat are inadequate to support viable populations of pool‐breeding amphibians. We also found that species with different life‐history strategies responded differently to the loss and degradation of terrestrial habitat. The wood frog, with a short life span and high fecundity, was most sensitive to habitat loss and isolation, whereas the longer‐lived spotted salamander with lower fecundity was most sensitive to habitat degradation that lowered adult survival rates. Our model results demonstrate that a high probability of local amphibian population persistence requires sufficient terrestrial habitat, the maintenance of habitat quality, and connectivity among local populations. Our results emphasize the essential role of adequate terrestrial habitat to the maintenance of wetland biodiversity and ecosystem function and offer a means of quantifying the risks associated with terrestrial habitat loss and degradation.     

Protection of Mammal Diversity in Central America

Abstract:  Central America is exceptionally rich in biodiversity, but varies widely in the attention its countries devote to conservation. Protected areas, widely considered the cornerstone of conservation, were not always created with the intent of conserving that biodiversity. We assessed how well the protected-area system of Central America includes the region's mammal diversity. This first required a refinement of existing range maps to reduce their extensive errors of commission (i.e., predicted presences in places where species do not occur). For this refinement, we used the ecological limits of each species to identify and remove unsuitable areas from the range. We then compared these maps with the locations of protected areas to measure the habitat protected for each of the region's 250 endemic mammals. The species most vulnerable to extinction—those with small ranges—were largely outside protected areas. Nevertheless, the most strictly protected areas tended toward areas with many small-ranged species. To improve the protection coverage of mammal diversity in the region, we identified a set of priority sites that would best complement the existing protected areas. Protecting these new sites would require a relatively small increase in the total area protected, but could greatly enhance mammal conservation.     

农牧交错带农业生态服务功能的作用及其保护途径

目前全球农业生产覆盖全球25％～30％的土地面积，约50％的可利用土地已经被农业占据。如果农业生态系统．特别是生态脆弱区的系统服务功能得不到恢复与保护．那将会拖全球环境保护的“后腿”。由于中国的国情决定了在生态脆弱区环境保护中必须坚持环境保护与发展农业生产“两手抓“。因此．农业生态系统服务功能的恢复、维持应该成为该地区生态环境保护与建设的重要组成部分。农业生产不仅要提高生态系统服务的产品功能，更要恢复和维持其各种维持生命的间接服务功能。本文在分析农业生态系统服务功能退化表现与影响因素的基础上．提出了针对各项服务功能的恢复与维持对策。     

分光光度法测定染料废水中的对氨基酚

以由地洛试剂为氧化剂，用分光光度法测定染料废水中对氨基酚的含量，进行了波长，贝特洛试剂用量及显色时间等分析条件的选择。精密度和准确度实验结果表明，该准确，快速，可用于染料废水中对氨基酚的测定。     

Advisory Committee: A Powerful Tool for Helping Decision Makers in Environmental Issues

/ It has been suggested that the general public should be moreinvolved in environmental policy and decision making. It is important forthem to realize that they will have to live with the consequences ofenvironmental policies and decisions. Consequently, policy makers shouldconsider the concerns and opinions of the general public before makingdecisions on environmental issues. This raises questions such as: How can weintegrate the perceptions and reactions of the general population inenvironmental decisions? What kind of public participation should weconsider? In the present study, using a new regional ecosystem model, weattempted to integrate these aspects in its decision making model byincluding the formation of an advisory committee to resolve problems relatedto waste management. The advisory committee requested the activeparticipation of representatives from all levels of the community: economic,municipal, and governmental intervenors; environmental groups; and citizens.Their mandates were to examine different management strategies available inthe region, considering all the interdisciplinary aspects of each strategy,elaborate recommendations concerning the management strategies that are mostsuitable for all, and collaborate in communication of the information to thegeneral population. The results showed that at least in small municipalitiessuch an advisory committee can be a powerful tool in environmental decisionmaking. Conditions required for a successful consultation process, such aseveryday lay language and the presence of a facilitator other than ascientific expert, are discussed.KEY WORDS: Public consultation; Environmental policies;Interdisciplinary aspects; Municipal sewage sludge management; Generalpopulation; Decision-making process     

低山丘陵区水土保持治理与生态环境效应

分析了低山丘陵区水土流失等级分布，水土流失的形成原因及危害，指出低山丘陵区水土流失综合治理要以小流域综合治理为主，阐明小流域水土流失的规律性，以及根据小流域3个地貌单元类型按“三条带”模式进行综合治理：山顶林草防治、山腰经济林带整治、山脚坡改梯治理的技术措施，着重论述综合治理的生态环境效应：明显地保水保土保肥，在降雨量相同的情况下等高种植、坡改梯、封山育林雨强明显小于坡耕地，起始产流时间延迟，径流量减少近2/3，土壤侵蚀量明显比坡耕地少得多。土壤侵蚀携带养分，坡耕地损失量最大，等高种植全氮、全磷的损失量最小；坡改梯有机质、有效氮、速效钾流失量较少，说明坡改梯的保肥效果优于等高种植。林草植被对改善生态系统的环境效应和提高生物多样性功能，为低山丘陵区生态环境恢复和农业可持发展奠定基础。     

Effects of the Anthropogenic Factor on Bats (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) in the Volga Region

Using the example of bats inhabiting the Volga region, the cases in which the anthropogenic factor creates favorable conditions for these animals or significantly reduces their diversity of their fauna are considered. In this context, an opinion concerning the approaches to the conservation of bats is formulated.     

发挥区域资源优势，发展“一优两高”农业──岩头镇农业资源优势的开发布局探讨

本文分析评价了永嘉县岩头镇农业综合开发的优势条件、开发潜力，提出了开发农业的方向、区域布局和开发项目和开发措施。     

The Conservation Status and Conservation Strategy of Picea neoveitchii

Picea neoveitchii is an endemic species in China. It had been listed as an endangered species in red data books. It scatters in several locations of south slope of the Qinling Mountain of China. Upon reviewing the related literature, discussing with leading scholars on gymnosperm, ecology and plant conservation, the field survey was carried out in four locations. There are eleven mature individuals and two seedlings surviving in its natural habitats. With the survey of quadrat method in four locations, related community index were calculated such as relative important value （RIV）, species richness, similarity index, diversity index and evenness index etc. The community could be sorted and characterized as three groups based on the community parameters. The analysis of vegetation table elucidates that Picea neoveitchii is a dominant species with low grouping rate in most surveyed sites. The RAPD analysis shows target species has intraspecific genetic variability. The estimation of Shannon＇s phenotypic diversity index （Ho） also explains the difference of genetic variations of different locations. Due to the lack of enough knowledge and professional guide of conservation biological perspective, Picea neoveitchii had been clear-cut for timber production. The extent of occurrence and area of occupancy declined rapidly from 1950s to 1990s. According to the Conservation Category guideline proposed by the World Conservation Union, the conservation status of Picea neoveitchii was reevaluated as Critically Endangered （CR） B2b C2a D. Upon research in areas of ecology, molecular biology, cluster analysis of environmental parameters, a practical conservation strategy is recommended in this research.     

IMPACT ON GROUNDWATER RESOURCES OF CONVERSION FROM FURROW TO DRIP IRRIGATION1

ABSTRACT A model is developed to analyze the groundwater conservation and depletion effects of converting sugarcane irrigation from the furrow to the drip method. The results do not support the commonly held notion that more efficient use of irrigation water will release scarce water supplies for metropolitan growth.