Relationship Between Bird Abundances and Landscape Characteristics: The Influence of Scale

Scale is important to consider when investigating effects of the environment on a species. Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data and landscape metrics derived from aerial photographs were evaluated to determine how relationships of bird abundances with landscape variables changed over a continuous range of 16 spatial scales. We analyzed the average number of birds per stop (1985–1994) for five songbird species (family Cardinalidae) for each of 50 stops on 198 BBS transects throughout six states in the Central Plains, USA. Land along each transect was categorized into six cover types, and landscape metrics of fractal dimension (a measure of shape complexity of habitat patches), edge density, patch density, and percent area were calculated, with principal components used to construct composite environmental variables. Associations of bird abundances and landscape variables changed in accordance with small scale changes. Abundances of three species were correlated with edge density and one with component I, which subsumes initial variables of patch density for urban, closed forest, open forest, and open country. Fractal dimension and component II (summarizing amount of closed forest versus open country) were associated with the most species. Correlation patterns of fractal dimension with northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) and painted bunting (Passerina ciris) abundances were similar, with highest correlations at intermediate to small scales, suggesting indirectly that these species thrive in areas where local habitat conditions are most important. Multiscale analysis can provide insight into the spatial scale(s) at which species respond, a topic of intrinsic scientific interest with applied implications for researchers establishing protocols to assess and monitor avian populations.     

环境系统权重分配的二级决策

权重分配是环境质量评价的关键技术问题．应用多目标二级决策方法，从寻找环境系统客观背景入手，对环境系统各组成要素及各要素的表征参数进行客观自动赋权，为克服环境质量评价中权重分配的主观随意性提供了一种方法．应用表明，这种方法物理意义清晰，算法简便，具有较好的应用价值．     

辽宁省水库富营养化限制因子及风险研究

中国东北部典型水库群的富营养化风险管理是饮用水安全的重要保障。选择辽宁省15个主要水库作为研究案例,以近十年的水质数据为评价基础,采用统计学分析方法,针对春、夏、秋3个季节建立富营养化指标的回归模型,识别不同季节富营养化产生的主要限制因子。采用概率分布曲线法对各水库发生中营养化和轻度富营养化的风险进行评估,并对15座水库的风险进行排序。结果表明:水库富营养化在不同季节的环境限制因子各有不同,水库中营养化和轻度富营养化的风险特征也有显著差异。     

基于区域梯度式学习情景的长江经济带环境治理研究

长江经济带作为国家重大战略,面临开发与保护的巨大挑战,构建科学、高效的生态环境保护机制为其保驾护航成为重中之重。作为一个流域式生态共同体,区域统筹协调下的生态环境保护和治理是根本关键。本研究导入区域协同治理理念,提出构建梯度式渐进学习环境协同治理框架,并采用数据进行长江经济带环境污染治理的多情景测度与评价实证检验了梯度间以及梯度内部的环境保护与污染治理协调机制的潜在影响。最终,从中央、区域和地方三个层面提出梯度式学习视野下长江经济带环境治理策略。     

An adaptive plan for prioritizing road sections for fencing to reduce animal mortality

Mortality of animals on roads is a critical threat to many wildlife populations and is poised to increase strongly because of ongoing and planned road construction. If these new roads cannot be avoided, effective mitigation measures will be necessary to stop biodiversity decline. Fencing along roads effectively reduces roadkill and is often used in combination with wildlife passages. Because fencing the entire road is not always possible due to financial constraints, high-frequency roadkill areas are often identified to inform the placement of fencing. We devised an adaptive fence-implementation plan to prioritize road sections for fencing. In this framework, areas along roads of high, moderate, and low levels of animal mortality (respectively, roadkill hotspots, warmspots, and coldspots) are identified at multiple scales (i.e., in circles of different diameters [200–2000 m] in which mortality frequency is measured). Fence deployment is based on the relationship between the amount of fencing being added to the road, starting with the strongest roadkill hotspots, and potential reduction in road mortality (displayed in mortality-reduction graphs). We applied our approach to empirical and simulated spatial patterns of wildlife–vehicle collisions. The scale used for analysis affected the number and spatial extent of roadkill hot-, warm-, and coldspots. At fine scales (e.g., 200 m), more hotspots were identified than at coarse scales (e.g., 2000 m), but combined the fine-scale hotspots covered less road and less fencing was needed to reduce road mortality. However, many short fences may be less effective in practice due to a fence-end effect (i.e., animals moving around the fence more easily), resulting in a trade-off between few long and many short fences, which we call the FLOMS (few-long-or-many-short) fences trade-off. Thresholds in the mortality-reduction graphs occurred for some roadkill patterns, but not for others. Thresholds may be useful to consider when determining road-mitigation targets. The existence of thresholds at multiple scales and the FLOMS trade-off have important implications for biodiversity conservation.     

Sample size requirements for multiple regression interval estimation

Sample size planning is one of the most important issues in the design of a study. Simple and accurate sample size formulas for a desired confidence interval width have been developed for many statistical procedures, but a simple and accurate sample size formula for the squared multiple correlation has been a notable exception. Several rule‐of‐thumb sample size recommendations for a multiple regression analysis have been proposed over the years but none are satisfactory. Other approaches have focused on the construction of elaborate tables of sample size requirements, but these tables are both unwieldy and inadequate. We present a simple, accurate, and general method of approximating the sample size requirement for obtaining a squared multiple correlation confidence interval with desired precision. We also present a simple method for approximating the sample size needed to estimate unstandardized regression coefficients with desired precision. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

我国事故指标与经济社会发展指标多元回归分析

以安全生产相对指标工矿商贸十万就业人员生产安全事故死亡率为研究对象,通过文献调研分析,最终从经济发展、经济发展结构、经济活动水平和社会活动水平角度筛选出14个指标为观察对象,采用逐步多元回归分析法筛选出影响我国安全生产的主要经济社会发展指标为：第三产业增加值产值占GDP比重、第三产业就业人数占总就业人数的比重和固定资产投资增长速度,并建立了回归模型。应用弹性系数法对主要影响因素进行重要性排序,并推测工矿商贸就业人员十万人事故死亡率将保持持续下降的趋势。     

基于不同漏风源浅埋煤层采空区自燃“三带”分布规律研究*

为解决浅埋自燃煤层采空区因地表及工作面漏风而自燃的难题,以沙坪煤矿1818工作面为例,利用SF6示踪法检测采空区地表漏风通道和风速,利用FLUENT数值模拟分析不同漏风源采空区自燃“三带”分布的特征,并通过现场束管测试结果对比分析浅埋煤层采空区地表漏风对自燃“三带”分布的影响,同时限定工作面最小推进速度,确保工作面的安全生产。研究结果表明:地表漏风风速为0.06～0.30 m/s,漏风通道多且复杂;相比于工作面单一漏风源,有地表漏风存在时,自燃危险性加大;限定工作面最小推进速度为1.24 m/d。因此,多漏风源煤层开采条件下自燃“三带”分布的确定对浅埋藏自燃煤层采空区遗煤自燃预测预报及预防工作具有重要的指导和借鉴意义。     

基于数据填补-机器学习的煤与瓦斯突出预测效果研究*

为解决煤与瓦斯突出事故数据集少,数据缺失严重的问题,提出将多重插补（MI）和随机森林填补(MF)应用于填补缺失参数,并将填补前和填补后的数据输入SVM,ELM,RF 3种机器学习算法进行训练,构建9种耦合模型。采用总体准确率、局部准确率、运行时间这3种指标评价模型性能。研究结果表明:采用数据填补算法后,由于训练样本增大,煤与瓦斯突出事故预测的总体准确率提高,运行时间增长;MF-RF模型的总体准确率与事故预测准确率最高,分别为97.90%和98.93%;RD-ELM模型的运行时间最短,为0.24 s;多重插补使得煤与瓦斯突出预测的总体准确率提高0.98%~1.11%,随机森林填补总体准确率提高5.13%~7.50%,随机森林填补的效果好于多重插补。     

Practical implementation of cumulative-effects management of marine ecosystems in western North America

Globally, ecosystem structure and function have been degraded by the cumulative effects (CE) of multiple stressors. To maintain ecosystem resilience, there is an urgent need to better account for CE in management decision-making at various scales. Current laws and regulations are supported by a multitude of frameworks and strategies that vary in application and terminology use across management agencies and geopolitical boundaries. We synthesized management frameworks that accounted for CE in marine ecosystems at the regional and national levels across western North America (Canada, United States, Mexico) to identify similarities and shared challenges to successful implementation. We examined examples of solutions to the identified challenges (e.g., interagency and cross-border partnerships to overcome challenges of managing for ecologically relevant spatial scales). Management frameworks in general consisted of 3 phases: scoping and structuring the system; characterizing relationships; and evaluating management options. Challenges in the robust implementation of these phases included lack of interagency coordination, minimal incorporation of diverse perspectives, and data deficiencies. Cases that provided solutions to these challenges encouraged coordination at ecological rather than jurisdictional scales, enhanced involvement of stakeholders and Indigenous groups, and used nontraditional data sources for decision-making. Broader implementation of these approaches, combined with increased interagency and international coordination and collaboration, should facilitate the rapid advancement of more effective CE assessment and ecosystem management in North America and elsewhere.