Fungal diversity and its mechanism of community shaping in the milieu of sanitary landfill

• Ascomycota was the predominant phylum in sanitary landfill fungal communities. • Saprophytic fungi may be of special importance in landfill ecology. • Both richness and diversity of fungal community were lower in leachate than refuse. • Physical habitat partly contributed to the geographic variance of fungal community. • NO₃⁻ was considered the most significant abiotic factor shaping fungal community. Land filling is the main method to dispose municipal solid waste in China. During the decomposition of organic waste in landfills, fungi play an important role in organic carbon degradation and nitrogen cycling. However, fungal composition and potential functions in landfill have not yet been characterized. In this study, refuse and leachate samples with different areas and depths were taken from a large sanitary landfill in Beijing to identify fungal communities in landfills. In high-throughput sequencing of ITS region, 474 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were obtained from landfill samples with a cutoff level of 3% and a sequencing depth of 19962. The results indicates that Ascomycota, with the average relative abundance of 84.9%, was the predominant phylum in landfill fungal communities. At the genus level, Family Hypocreaceae unclassified (15.7%), Fusarium (9.9%) and Aspergillus (8.3%) were the most abundant fungi found in the landfill and most of them are of saprotrophic lifestyle, which plays a big role in nutrient cycling in ecosystem. Fungi existed both in landfilled refuse and leachate while both the richness and evenness of fungal communities were higher in the former. In addition, fungal communities in landfilled refuse presented geographic variances, which could be partly attributed to physical habitat properties (pH, dissolved organic carbon, volatile solid, NH₄⁺, NO₂⁻ and NO₃⁻), while NO₃⁻ was considered the most significant factor (p<0.05) in shaping fungal community.     

内蒙古典型草原土壤及其水文过程对灌丛化的响应

基于野外观测和室内试验相结合的方法,研究了内蒙古典型草原小叶锦鸡儿灌丛化过程对土壤和土壤水文过程的影响,旨在为干旱半干旱区环境保护和恢复提供理论基础。结果表明,斑块尺度上,灌丛斑块土壤有机质和全氮含量分别是草地斑块的1.54倍和1.16倍;灌丛斑块平均沙粒、粉粒和粘粒含量是草地斑块的0.87倍、1.34倍和1.35倍;灌丛斑块土壤容重是草地斑块的0.97倍;灌丛斑块钙积层上表面出现深度是草地斑块的1.27倍。地形等自然条件也是形成土壤异质性的重要因子,坡面尺度上,灌丛和草地斑块土壤有机质、全氮、土壤容重、土壤钙积层上表面出现深度呈自坡顶向坡下方向增加的趋势。染色示踪实验表明,灌丛斑块土壤剖面湿润锋和土壤水分入渗速率分别是草地斑块的1.36倍和5.16倍,草地斑块0~10cm土层对水分的响应较敏感,而灌丛斑块25 cm以下土层对水分的响应较敏感。研究认为,灌丛化过程增强了土壤空间异质性,灌丛斑块能将土壤水分快速输送并存储于深层土壤中,灌丛斑块是土壤养分和水分富集区,灌木植物的定居和发展过程与土壤形态之间形成了正反馈。     

中国地表城市热岛驱动因素及其空间异质性

基于MODIS卫星遥感数据,计算了中国284个地级市2018年的年平均地表城市热岛强度,分析了中国地表城市热岛的空间分布规律和空间集聚模式.结合多元遥感数据、气象数据和社会经济统计数据,利用地理加权回归模型分析了日间和夜间地表城市热岛强度主要驱动因素的空间异质性结果表明,中国地表城市热岛强度的空间分布存在明显的空间自相...     

技术异质下中国大气污染排放效率的区域差异与影响因素

近年来中国雾霾天气的频繁发生给人们的生产、生活以及身体健康构成巨大威胁。提高大气污染排放效率,深入挖掘大气污染减排潜力是改善中国大气环境质量,减少和消除雾霾天气发生的重要途径。本文根据生态效率理论,充分考虑到不同区域发展的不平衡因素与技术异质性特征,在共同前沿方法框架下科学测算2006—2014年间中国30个省份的大气污染排放效率,在此基础上分析效率的区域差异,利用"技术差距比(TGR)"这一指标衡量东部、中部与西部三大区域之间大气污染排放技术的差距,并从"技术"与"管理"两个维度进一步将各省份大气污染排放无效率分解为"技术差距无效率(TGI)"与"管理无效率(GMI)",以此定位各省份大气污染防治的薄弱环节,进而构建策略矩阵,将全国各省份归入四个不同排放效率特征的方阵,并给出相应的优化路径与措施;深入揭示大气污染排放效率与排放强度之间的内在联系,提出"大气污染排放强度效率"这一全新概念并考察其演化趋势;利用面板Tobit回归模型检验影响我国省际大气污染排放效率与排放技术的外部环境因素。实证结果表明:1中国大气污染排放效率整体水平偏低,年均仅为0.493,污染减排潜力巨大;2中国大气污染排放效率与排放技术的地区差异显著,无论是大气污染排放效率还是排放技术水平,东部地区都是明显高于中部与西部地区;3中国大气污染的实际排放强度明显高于潜在排放强度,这表明大气污染排放强度还存在很大的改进空间;4经济发展、产业结构升级与科技创新对大气污染排放效率与排放技术的提升均有显著促进作用,煤炭消费比重上升与人口密度过大则对其有显著抑制作用;5本文的研究结论支持"波特假说"与"污染避难所"假说。     

渤海湾海岸带生境退化诊断方法

海岸带是世界上生产力和生物多样性最高的生境类型之一. 海岸带生境退化诊断技术研究是保护生态系统和近海生物资源的现实需求,将为海岸带环境管理提供有力的技术支撑. 以渤海湾海岸带为研究区域,基于驱动力-压力-状态-影响-响应(DPSIR)框架模型,构建了渤海湾生境退化诊断的指标体系;采用层次分析法确定指标权重系数,对渤海湾海岸带生境退化进行了综合诊断和评价. 结果表明:相对于20世纪80年代,20多年来渤海湾海岸带的水质下降了1个等级,底质和滩涂栖息地下降了2个等级,入海物质对海岸带环境的压力提高了2个等级,海岸带生境的综合评价结果下降了1个等级.      

Efficacy of Land-Cover Models in Predicting Isolation of Marbled Salamander Populations in a Fragmented Landscape

Abstract:  Amphibians worldwide are facing rapid declines due to habitat loss and fragmentation, disease, and other causes. Where habitat alteration is implicated, there is a need for spatially explicit conservation plans. Models built with geographic information systems (GIS) are frequently used to inform such planning. We explored the potential for using GIS models of functional landscape connectivity as a reliable proxy for genetically derived measures of population isolation. We used genetic assignment tests to characterize isolation of marbled salamander populations and evaluated whether the relative amount of modified habitat around breeding ponds was a reliable indicator of population isolation. Using a resampling analysis, we determined whether certain land-cover variables consistently described population isolation. We randomly drew half the data for model building and tested the performance of the best models on the other half 100 times. Deciduous forest was consistently associated with lower levels of population isolation, whereas salamander populations in regions of agriculture and anthropogenic development were more isolated. Models that included these variables and pond size explained 65–70% of variation in genetically inferred isolation across sites. The resampling analysis confirmed that these habitat variables were consistently good predictors of isolation. Used judiciously, simple GIS models with key land-cover variables can be used to estimate population isolation if field sampling and genetic analysis are not possible.     

Value of Small Patches in the Conservation of Plant-Species Diversity in Highly Fragmented Rainforest

Abstract:  We evaluated the importance of small (<5 ha) forest patches for the conservation of regional plant diversity in the tropical rainforest of Los Tuxtlas, Mexico. We analyzed the density of plant species (number of species per 0.1 ha) in 45 forest patches of different sizes (1–700 ha) in 3 landscapes with different deforestation levels (4, 11, and 24% forest cover). Most of the 364 species sampled (360 species, 99%) were native to the region, and only 4 (1%) were human-introduced species. Species density in the smallest patches was high and variable; the highest (84 species) and lowest (23 species) number of species were recorded in patches of up to 1.8 ha. Despite the small size of these patches, they contained diverse communities of native plants, including endangered and economically important species. The relationship between species density and area was significantly different among the landscapes, with a significant positive slope only in the landscape with the highest deforestation level. This indicates that species density in a patch of a given size may vary among landscapes that have different deforestation levels. Therefore, the conservation value of a patch depends on the total forest cover remaining in the landscape. Our findings revealed, however, that a great portion of regional plant diversity was located in very small forest patches (<5 ha), most of the species were restricted to only a few patches (41% of the species sampled were distributed in only 1–2 patches, and almost 70% were distributed in 5 patches) and each landscape conserved a unique plant assemblage. The conservation and restoration of small patches is therefore necessary to effectively preserve the plant diversity of this strongly deforested and unique Neotropical region.     

Invasion, Disturbance, and Competition: Modeling the Fate of Coastal Plant Populations

Abstract:  Wetland habitats are besieged by biotic and abiotic disturbances such as invasive species, hurricanes, habitat fragmentation, and salinization. Predicting how these factors will alter local population dynamics and community structure is a monumental challenge. By examining ecologically similar congeners, such as Iris hexagona and I. pseudacorus (which reproduce clonally and sexually and tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions), one can identify life-history traits that are most influential to population growth and viability. We combined empirical data and stage-structured matrix models to investigate the demographic responses of native ( I. hexagona ) and invasive ( I. pseudacorus ) plant populations to hurricanes and salinity stress in freshwater and brackish wetlands. In our models I. hexagona and I. pseudacorus responded differently to salinity stress, and species coexistence was rare. In 82% of computer simulations of freshwater marsh, invasive iris populations excluded the native species within 50 years, whereas native populations excluded the invasive species in 99% of the simulations in brackish marsh. The occurrence of hurricanes allowed the species to coexist, and species persistence was determined by the length of time it took the ecosystem to recover. Rapid recovery (2 years) favored the invasive species, whereas gradual recovery (30 years) favored the native species. Little is known about the effects of hurricanes on competitive interactions between native and invasive plant species in marsh ecosystems. Our models contribute new insight into the relationship between environmental disturbance and invasion and demonstrate how influential abiotic factors such as climate change will be in determining interspecific interactions.     

潮间带湿地栖息地功能退化评价方法研究与应用

栖息地功能是潮间带湿地重要的生态功能之一. 利用景观生态学原理,选择既能较好地反映潮间带栖息地变化,又能敏感地反映海岸带开发影响的有效湿地斑块面积、单位面积湿地斑块数量、植被覆盖率和栖息地复杂性4个指标,建立了潮间带湿地栖息地功能评价模型.在对1954—2000年渤海湾潮间带湿地的动态变化进行分析的基础上,运用潮间带湿地栖息地功能评价模型,对研究区潮间带湿地作了评价. 结果表明:以20世纪50年代为基准年,渤海湾潮间带湿地的野生动物栖息地功能指数从0.84下降到0.56,湿地破碎化是其功能退化的主要原因.      

Consideration of fuzziness: Is it necessary in modelling fish habitat preference of Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes)?

The present study aims to clarify the necessity and effectiveness of considering fuzziness in modelling fish habitat preference, and the advantages which would be achieved by considering it. For this purpose, genetic algorithm (GA) optimized habitat preference models under three different levels of fuzzification were compared with regard to prediction ability of the habitat use of Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) dwelling in agricultural canals in Japan. Field surveys were conducted in agricultural canals in Japan to establish a relationship between fish habitat preference and physical environments of water depth, current velocity, lateral cover ratio and percent vegetation coverage. The habitat preference models employed for testing the fuzzy-based approach were category model, fuzzy habitat preference model, and fuzzy habitat preference model with fuzzy inputs. All the models were developed at 50 different initial conditions. The effectiveness of the fuzzification in fish habitat modelling was assessed by comparing mean square error and standard deviation of the models, and fluctuation in habitat preference curves evaluated by each model. As a result, the effect of fuzzification appeared as smoother curves and was found to reduce fluctuation in habitat preference curves in proportion to the level of fuzzification. The smooth curves would be appropriate for expressing uncertainty in habitat preference of the fish, by which fuzzy habitat preference model with fuzzy input achieve the best prediction ability among the models. In conclusion, the present study revealed that there are two advantages of fuzzification: reducing fluctuations in habitat preference evaluation and improving prediction ability of the model. Therefore, the consideration of fuzziness would be appropriate for representing fish habitat preference under natural conditions.