Use of an Airborne Lidar System to Model Plant Species Composition and Diversity of Mediterranean Oak Forests

Abstract: Airborne lidar is a remote‐sensing tool of increasing importance in ecological and conservation research due to its ability to characterize three‐dimensional vegetation structure. If different aspects of plant species diversity and composition can be related to vegetation structure, landscape‐level assessments of plant communities may be possible. We examined this possibility for Mediterranean oak forests in southern Portugal, which are rich in biological diversity but also threatened. We compared data from a discrete, first‐and‐last return lidar data set collected for 31 plots of cork oak (Quercus suber) and Algerian oak (Quercus canariensis) forest with field data to test whether lidar can be used to predict the vertical structure of vegetation, diversity of plant species, and community type. Lidar‐ and field‐measured structural data were significantly correlated (up to r= 0.85). Diversity of forest species was significantly associated with lidar‐measured vegetation height (R²= 0.50, p < 0.001). Clustering and ordination of the species data pointed to the presence of 2 main forest classes that could be discriminated with an accuracy of 89% on the basis of lidar data. Lidar can be applied widely for mapping of habitat and assessments of habitat condition (e.g., in support of the European Species and Habitats Directive [92/43/EEC]). However, particular attention needs to be paid to issues of survey design: density of lidar points and geospatial accuracy of ground‐truthing and its timing relative to acquisition of lidar data.     

热带增宽及其对中国东部亚热带森林植被的影响

全球气候变暖已是不争的事实,现今气候变暖的趋势已由每百年（1901--2000）增加0．6℃的记录升高为0．74℃（1906—2005）。其中高纬度地区增温特别显著,成为世界关注的热点。与之对比,热带地区的气候变化以及热带森林对它的反应报道甚少。事实上,自1970s中期以来,热带温度是每lO年升高0．26oC;同时气候模型预测到本世纪末热带地区温度将上升2．1-4．5℃。这些预测是有根据的,但究竟不是直接的证据。因此,本文综合了许多专家对热带地球物理学和大气层特性的多年观测、分析和研究的成果,其结论认为：至少自1979年以来许多热带大气层固有的特征发生变化并向地球极地推进和位移,这些根据是：（1）热带高空的哈德利环流增强并向极地扩展;（21位于热带边缘的亚热带射流向极地移动;（3）热带亚热带对流层顶高度和位置的变化;（4）热带高空平流层臭氧柱总量浓度的变化。据上述特征的变化证明数十年来热带向极地增宽纬度2°～5°（～8°）,一般确认为2．5°。由于热带增宽的驱动,广东50年的气温记录表明气候持续变暖,按增暖趋势推算,预估到2020年,现在的雷州半岛南部可能变成中热带;广东东南沿海将由目前的南亚热带变为北热带（占全省面积约1／3）;其余大部分地区为南亚热带;中亚热带基本上将退出广东（仅剩下东北角一偶）。此预测意味着南岭地区将成为南亚热带的边缘地。     

Incorporating low-resolution historic species location data decreases performance of distribution models

Developing robust species distribution models is important as model outputs are increasingly being incorporated into conservation policy and management decisions. A largely overlooked component of model assessment and refinement is whether to include historic species occurrence data in distribution models to increase the data sample size. Data of different temporal provenance often differ in spatial accuracy and precision. We test the effect of inclusion of historic coarse-resolution occurrence data on distribution model outputs for 187 species of birds in Australian tropical savannas. Models using only recent (after 1990), fine-resolution data had significantly higher model performance scores measured with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) than models incorporating both fine- and coarse-resolution data. The drop in AUC score is positively correlated with the total area predicted to be suitable for the species (R² = 0.163-0.187, depending on the environmental predictors in the model), as coarser data generally leads to greater predicted areas. The remaining unexplained variation is likely to be due to the covariate errors resulting from resolution mismatch between species records and environmental predictors. We conclude that decisions regarding data use in species distribution models must be conscious of the variation in predictions that mixed-scale datasets might cause.     

我国东部沿海热带气旋演化特征研究

我国是遭受热带气旋灾害最为严重的国家之一.其年际年代际演化特征仍不清晰.采用中国气象局公布的1949?—?2018年的最佳路径数据集、登陆热带气旋名录以及HadlSST数据,探讨近70 a以来我国东部沿海热带气旋的时空演化特征及其与海表温度变化的内在关联.结果表明:(1)70 a间,热带气旋生成个数以及登陆我国东部沿海地区的个数略有波动,但超强热带气旋个数生成以及登陆我国的个数呈现明显增加趋势;登陆我国东部沿海地区的热带气旋大多生成于7、8、9月份,但4月以及11月也存在热带气旋生成并登陆现象.(2)登陆我国东部沿海地区的热带气旋主要生成于西北太平洋海域(432个)、南海海域(199个)和东海海域(28个),且主要在我国广东(220个)、海南(153个)、台湾(146个)、福建(47个)登陆.(3)热带气旋生成及登陆我国气旋与全球海表温度具有高度相关性;与西太平洋海温呈正相关,与东太平洋与印度洋海温呈负相关.     

优化施肥模式对我国热带地区水稻-豇豆轮作系统N2O和CH4排放的影响

选择海南典型的水稻-豇豆轮作系统进行氧化亚氮(N_2O)和甲烷(CH_4)排放的原位监测,探究不同施肥模式下该系统土壤温室气体排放特征.试验设当地常规施肥对照(CON)、优化施肥量(OPT)、有机无机配施(ORG)、缓控肥替代优化(SCOPT)及不施氮对照(CK)共5个处理,采用静态箱-气相色谱法监测整个种植季土壤N_2O和CH_4排放,并估算增温潜势(GWP)和温室气体排放强度(GHGI).结果表明,各处理水稻季N_2O累积排放量为0. 19～1. 37 kg·hm~(-2),相较于CON处理,优化施肥处理N_2O减排50%～86%;豇豆季N_2O累积排放量为1. 29～3. 55 kg·hm~(-2),除ORG增加14%,其他处理减排16%～59%.各处理水稻季CH_4累积排放量为4. 67～14. 23 kg·hm~(-2),CK、OPT和ORG处理分别较CON增加116%、22%和102%,而SCOPT减少了29%;豇豆季CH_4累积排放量为0. 03～0. 26 kg·hm~(-2),期间出现CH_4吸收.比较两个作物季和休闲期对农田土壤直接排放的温室气体GWP的贡献率,豇豆季在CH_4排放极低的情况下,仍有44. 7%～54. 5%的占比;两种温室气体比较中,N_2O对GWP的贡献率为66. 7%～77. 2%. SCOPT处理的GWP和两季作物GHGI均显著低于CON处理.3个优化施肥处理中,SCOPT的增产减排效果最显著,为最优的施肥方案.     

Using land-use history and multiple baselines to determine bird responses to cocoa agroforestry

Agroforests can play an important role in biodiversity conservation in complex landscapes. A key factor distinguishing among agroforests is land-use history – whether agroforests are established inside forests or on historically forested but currently open lands. The disparity between land-use histories means the appropriate biodiversity baselines may differ, which should be accounted for when assessing the conservation value of agroforests. Specifically, comparisons between multiple baselines in forest and open land could enrich understanding of species’ responses by contextualizing them. We made such comparisons based on data from a recently published meta-analysis of the effects of cocoa (Theobroma cacao) agroforestry on bird diversity. We regrouped rustic, mixed shade cocoa, and low shade cocoa agroforests, based on land-use history, into forest-derived and open-land-derived agroforests and compared bird species diversity (species richness, abundance, and Shannon's index values) between forest and open land, which represented the 2 alternative baselines. Bird diversity was similar in forest-derived agroforests and forests (Hedges’ g* estimate [SE] = -0.3144 [0.3416], p = 0.36). Open-land-derived agroforests were significantly less diverse than forests (g* = 1.4312 [0.6308], p = 0.023) and comparable to open lands (g* = -0.1529 [0.5035], p = 0.76). Our results highlight how land-use history determined the conservation value of cocoa agroforests. Forest-derived cocoa agroforests were comparable to the available – usually already degraded – forest baselines, but entail future degradation risks. In contrast, open-land-derived cocoa agroforestry may offer restoration opportunities. Our results showed that comparisons among multiple baselines may inform relative contributions of agroforestry systems to bird conservation on a landscape scale.     

The Potential for Species Conservation in Tropical Secondary Forests

Abstract: In the wake of widespread loss of old‐growth forests throughout the tropics, secondary forests will likely play a growing role in the conservation of forest biodiversity. We considered a complex hierarchy of factors that interact in space and time to determine the conservation potential of tropical secondary forests. Beyond the characteristics of local forest patches, spatial and temporal landscape dynamics influence the establishment, species composition, and persistence of secondary forests. Prospects for conservation of old‐growth species in secondary forests are maximized in regions where the ratio of secondary to old‐growth forest area is relatively low, older secondary forests have persisted, anthropogenic disturbance after abandonment is relatively low, seed‐dispersing fauna are present, and old‐growth forests are close to abandoned sites. The conservation value of a secondary forest is expected to increase over time, as species arriving from remaining old‐growth forest patches accumulate. Many studies are poorly replicated, which limits robust assessments of the number and abundance of old‐growth species present in secondary forests. Older secondary forests are not often studied and few long‐term studies are conducted in secondary forests. Available data indicate that both old‐growth and second‐growth forests are important to the persistence of forest species in tropical, human‐modified landscapes.     

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.     

Conservation Value of Remnant Riparian Forest Corridors of Varying Quality for Amazonian Birds and Mammals

Abstract:  Forest corridors are often considered the main instrument with which to offset the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation. Brazilian forestry legislation requires that all riparian zones on private landholdings be maintained as permanent reserves and sets fixed minimum widths of riparian forest buffers to be retained alongside rivers and perennial streams. We investigated the effects of corridor width and degradation status of 37 riparian forest sites (including 24 corridors connected to large source-forest patches, 8 unconnected forest corridors, and 5 control riparian zones embedded within continuous forest patches) on bird and mammal species richness in a hyper-fragmented forest landscape surrounding Alta Floresta, Mato Grosso, Brazil. We used point-count and track-sampling methodology, coupled with an intensive forest-quality assessment that combined satellite imagery and ground truthed data. Vertebrate use of corridors was highly species-specific, but broad trends emerged depending on species life histories and their sensitivity to disturbance. Narrow and/or highly disturbed riparian corridors retained only a depauperate vertebrate assemblage that was typical of deforested habitats, whereas wide, well-preserved corridors retained a nearly complete species assemblage. Restriction of livestock movement along riparian buffers and their exclusion from key areas alongside deforested streams would permit corridor regeneration and facilitate restoration of connectivity .     

Variation in photosynthetic photon flux density within a tropical seasonal rain forest of Xishuangbanna, south-western China

Introduction Photosyntheticphotonfluxdensity(PPFD)withinforestcanopiesisintrinsicallyheterogeneousinspaceandtime.Becausesomespeciesaregenotypicallysuitedforspecificlightregimes,understandingtheheterogeneityofthelightregimewithinaforestcanopyisimportantfor…