Importance of Habitat Quality and Landscape Connectivity for the Persistence of Endangered Natterjack Toads

Abstract: The natterjack toad (Bufo calamita) is endangered in several parts of its distribution, including Belgium, where it occurs mainly in artificial habitats. We parameterized a general model for natterjack population viability analysis (PVA) and tested its sensitivity to changes in the values of basic parameters. Then we assessed the relative efficiency of various conservation measures in 2 situations: a small isolated population and a system of 4 populations connected by rare dispersal movements. We based the population viability analysis on a stage‐structured model of natterjack population dynamics. We parameterized the model in the RAMAS GIS platform with vital rates obtained from our own field experience and from published studies. Simulated natterjack populations were highly sensitive to habitat quality (particularly pond drying), to dispersal from surrounding local populations, and to a lesser extent to values of fecundity and survival of terrestrial stages. Population trajectories were nearly insensitive to initial abundances, carrying capacities, and the frequency of extreme climatic conditions. The simulations showed that in habitats with highly ephemeral ponds, where premetamorphosis mortality was high, natterjack populations nearly always had a very high extinction risk. We also illustrated how low dispersal rates (<1 dispersing individual/generation) efficiently rescued declining local populations. Such source‐sink dynamics demonstrate that the identification and management of source populations should be a high priority.     

The Future of Scattered Trees in Agricultural Landscapes

Abstract: Mature trees scattered throughout agricultural landscapes are critical habitat for some biota and provide a range of ecosystem services. These trees are declining in intensively managed agricultural landscapes globally. We developed a simulation model to predict the rates at which these trees are declining, identified the key variables that can be manipulated to mitigate this decline, and compared alternative management proposals. We used the initial numbers of trees in the stand, the predicted ages of these trees, their rate of growth, the number of recruits established, the frequency of recruitment, and the rate of tree mortality to simulate the dynamics of scattered trees in agricultural landscapes. We applied this simulation model to case studies from Spain, United States, Australia, and Costa Rica. We predicted that mature trees would be lost from these landscapes in 90–180 years under current management. Existing management recommendations for these landscapes—which focus on increasing recruitment—would not reverse this trend. The loss of scattered mature trees was most sensitive to tree mortality, stand age, number of recruits, and frequency of recruitment. We predicted that perpetuating mature trees in agricultural landscapes at or above existing densities requires a strategy that keeps mortality among established trees below around 0.5% per year, recruits new trees at a rate that is higher than the number of existing trees, and recruits new trees at a frequency in years equivalent to around 15% of the maximum life expectancy of trees. Numbers of mature trees in landscapes represented by the case studies will decline before they increase, even if strategies of this type are implemented immediately. This decline will be greater if a management response is delayed.     

黄土高原土壤景观格局特征分析

在地理信息系统支持下,选择多种景观格局指数,从斑块面积、斑块数、斑块周长和多样性的角度对黄土高原地区土壤景观进行了格局特征分析。结果表明,黄土高原地区土壤景观斑块数、面积和周长分布均极不均衡,土壤景观多样性指数较低,反映出黄土高原地区土壤景观破碎化程度较高。     

基于GIS的厦门市沿海岸线景观生态规划

根据景观生态学的基本原理和方法,运用GIS技术与因子加权叠加法,对厦门市沿海岸线进行了多目标的景观生态适宜性分析,并依据城市发展规划对沿海岸线及近岸海域的发展要求,提出厦门市沿海岸线及近岸海域的景观生态规划方案。该方案为促进厦门市经济发展和生态环境保护,创建“海湾型生态城市”提供了科学依据,并对我国城市沿海岸线的生态规划具有一定的参考意义。     

生态校园建设现状分析

生态校园建设的类型主要有:景观园林设计型、生态技术型、教育管理型.通过在校园内建立生态环境体系,使校园内有限的资源得到循环、合理、科学的使用,提高学校生态环境质量.     

Characteristics and driving factors of marsh changes in Zhalong wetland of China

Zhalong National Nature Reserve in the northeast of China is a large wetland and a habitat of hundreds species of fauna and flora. The rare red-crowned crane is one kind of endangered birds in it. Recently, Zhalong wetland is shrinking and it encounters many problems including occasional fires, bad water quality, human activities, etc. In order to find out a proper way to protect and restore the wetland, this study, using a geographic information system, the global positioning system and remote sensing techniques, analyses the spatial characteristics of the changes in marsh landscape pattern and examines the driving factors for these changes. Data sources include 8 Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite images of Zhalong area in the period of 1986–2002 and the investigation information on site. Based on the analysis of changes of marsh area and annual precipitation during the 16 years, it is found that there is a close correlation between annual precipitation and marsh area. It means that climate is one of driving factors of marsh pattern changes. To understand influences of other kinds of land uses on marsh spatial distribution in Zhalong wetland, this paper analyses the relationship between marsh and different kinds of land uses, such as water surface, residential area, farmland, salina land and grass land, respectively. According to the patch analysis theory, a fragmental index and a fractal dimension of the marsh are calculated with perimeter-area method. The results indicate that the marsh pattern is affected by human activities significantly. In addition, the location alteration of marsh centroid point over the 16 years is studied. The movement trace of marsh centroid point is concerned with different hydrological situation in different areas of the wetland. In summary the characteristics of the marsh landscape pattern evolution during the 16 years are affected by multiple driving factors. The main driving factors are climate, human activities, distribution of other kinds of land uses and hydrological situation in different areas.     

Use of Scale Invariance in Evaluating Judgement Indicators

Indicators are used to draw conclusions about ecological endpoints when these endpoints cannot be measured directly. In many cases, inferences about an endpoint are only possible because assumptions have been made about the relationship between indicator and endpoint; we refer to such indicators as judgement indicators. The validity of inferences made using a judgement indicator can be gauged by examining the known or assumed form of the general relationship between indicator and endpoint. The rules for this kind of inference are a consequence of scale invariance, which originates from measurement theory. For simple indicators comprised of a single indicator measurement, the inferences allowed – equivalence, rank, equality of intervals, and equality of ratios – depend on whether the data are nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio scaled. For composite indicators containing two or more simple indicators, inferences are also affected by the mathematical form of combination; e.g., whether the terms are summed or multiplied. Standardizing simple or composite indicators can allow inferences about the relative importance of observations, based on the natural range of occurrence. Scale invariance is a particularly important consideration in landscape assessments, since these often make use of judgement indicators.     

城镇景观水体水质控制技术分析

本文针对上海城镇小型景观水体水质污染特征,分析了充氧曝气、人工湿地、曝气生物滤池等工艺技术在小型景观水体水质净化中的应用,提出各种小型景观水体水质控制技术的特点和适用范围,为2010年上海世博会园区内景观水体水质控制方法提供参考,也为其他小型景观水体的建设和运行提供借鉴。     

和田河流域景观空间格局演变的初步分析

利用1990年、1999年TM和2002年中巴假彩色合成卫星遥感影像数据作主要信息源,经图像增强处理和解译,获得了和田河流域的区域土地利用景观类型图.采用景观生态学的方法,对研究区域进行土地利用景观空间格局演变进行了初步分析,并根据生态系统学基本理论,提出了综合利用水资源进行和田河流域生态环境整治的基本方案.     

水电站工程项目区生态环境现状评价方法初探——以开都河柳树沟水电站工程为例

在野外实地调查和遥感影像解译的基础上,采用传统生态学样方调查法和景观生态学生态完整性评价法相结合的方法,对开都河柳树沟水电站工程项目区生态环境现状进行评价.评价结果显示,这种评价方法能更全面有效的对项目区的生态环境现状进行评价.