Spillover of Agriculturally Subsidized Predators as a Potential Threat to Native Insect Herbivores in Fragmented Landscapes

Abstract:  Habitat loss and fragmentation can have strong negative impacts on populations of some native species. Spillover of generalist natural enemies from the surrounding landscape matrix is one mechanism potentially generating such effects, yet this has been rarely studied in insects. We examined the influence of habitat conversion to agriculture on the abundance and potential effects of predatory coccinellid beetles on native insect herbivores within 12 grassland remnants in central Nebraska (U.S.A.). Results of sweep sampling revealed that coccinellids were three to six times more abundant at native grassland sites embedded within cropland-dominated landscapes compared with control sites in grassland-dominated landscapes over the 3 years of the study. Exclusion experiments further demonstrated that predation intensity was strongly related to coccinellid abundances across sites and that coccinellids can dramatically reduce densities of a native aphid herbivore. In contrast to studies of specialized insect parasitoids, which have generally found reduced enemy pressure in fragmented landscapes, our results suggest that native herbivores may in some cases experience increased consumer pressure in landscapes with increasing habitat loss because of spillover of generalist predators from surrounding cropland habitats.     

Forest Roads as Partial Barriers to Terrestrial Salamander Movement

Abstract:  Roads can fragment animal populations by disrupting movement among formerly continuous habitats. Although models have demonstrated that disrupted movement can contribute to long-term extinction, there are few empirical data on the effects of roads on animal movement. We used displacement and homing experiments to determine whether forest roads are barriers to the movement of terrestrial salamanders. We displaced 1471 red-backed salamanders ( Plethodon cinereus ) across five forest roads and compared return rates to those of salamanders displaced equal distances toward the forest interior. Roads significantly reduced the return rate of salamanders, with a mean reduction of 51%. Steep roadside verges further reduced return rates, particularly for salamanders moving downhill across verges. The permeability of roads to salamander movement did not appear to be related to road surface type. Gravel roads had both the highest and lowest observed permeability with the two paved roads intermediate between these. We conclude that narrow forest roads are partial barriers to salamander movement and that steep roadside verges may exacerbate these effects.     

华北平原集约农区种植业生态经济系统的能值分析——以河北沧州为例

从能值的角度出发,以华北平原代表区域——河北省沧州地区2003年统计数据和调查数据为基础,对该地区种植业生态经济系统的能值投入和产出进行首次分析。结果显示:该地区不可更新的工业辅助能占总能值投入的78.5%,可更新的能值投入仅占21.4%(可更新环境资源8.79%、可更新有机12.68%),说明农业生产过渡依赖于外源不可更新辅助能的投入;此外,高系统太阳能值转换率、低净能值产出率和高环境负荷率的特点,表明该地区种植业的科技发展水平比较高,对环境的压力相当大。综合结果说明种植业系统对环境资源的过度利用必然会引起生态环境的破坏。基于此,提出华北平原集约农区种植业生态经济系统可持续发展对策:以优化施肥为基础,合理减少化肥投入为代表,适当降低工业辅助能投入;调整农业增产投入战略,努力解决该地区以水资源短缺为主的作物增产限制因子;改变农业生产中有机能值与无机能值的投入比例,降低系统环境负荷率。     

Persistence of Forest Birds in the Costa Rican Agricultural Countryside

Abstract:  Understanding the persistence mechanisms of tropical forest species in human-dominated landscapes is a fundamental challenge of tropical ecology and conservation. Many species, including more than half of Costa Rica's native land birds, use mostly deforested agricultural countryside, but how they do so is poorly known. Do they commute regularly to forest or can some species survive in this human-dominated landscape year-round? Using radiotelemetry, we detailed the habitat use, movement, foraging, and nesting patterns of three bird species, Catharus aurantiirostris , Tangara icterocephala , and Turdus assimilis , by obtaining 8101 locations from 156 individuals. We chose forest birds that varied in their vulnerability to deforestation and were representative of the species found both in forest and human-dominated landscapes. Our study species did not commute from extensive forest; rather, they fed and bred in the agricultural countryside. Nevertheless, T. icterocephala and T. assimilis , which are more habitat sensitive, were highly dependent on the remaining trees. Although trees constituted only 11% of land cover, these birds spent 69% to 85% of their time in them. Breeding success of C. aurantiirostris and T. icterocephala in deforested habitats was not different than in forest remnants, where T. assimilis experienced reduced breeding success. Although this suggests an ecological trap for T. assimilis , higher fledgling survival in forest remnants may make up for lower productivity. Tropical countryside has high potential conservation value, which can be enhanced with even modest increases in tree cover. Our findings have applicability to many human-dominated tropical areas that have the potential to conserve substantial biodiversity if appropriate restoration measures are taken.     

Estimating the Effect of Protected Lands on the Development and Conservation of Their Surroundings

Abstract:  The fate of private lands is widely seen as key to the fate of biodiversity in much of the world. Organizations that work to protect biodiversity on private lands often hope that conservation actions on one piece of land will leverage the actions of surrounding landowners. Few researchers have, however, examined whether protected lands do in fact encourage land conservation nearby or how protected lands affect development in the surrounding landscape. Using spatiotemporal data sets on land cover and land protection for three sites (western North Carolina, central Massachusetts, and central Arizona), we examined whether the existence of a protected area correlates with an increased rate of nearby land conservation or a decreased rate of nearby land development. At all sites, newly protected conservation areas tended to cluster close to preexisting protected areas. This may imply that the geography of contemporary conservation actions is influenced by past decisions on land protection, often made for reasons far removed from concerns about biodiversity. On the other hand, we found no evidence that proximity to protected areas correlates with a reduced rate of nearby land development. Indeed, on two of our three sites the development rate was significantly greater in regions with more protected land. This suggests that each conservation action should be justified and valued largely for what is protected on the targeted land, without much hope of broader conservation leverage effects.     

基于遥感的泾河流域植被覆盖格局分析

以MODIS遥感影像数据为数据源,应用遥感和GIS技术对泾河流域植被覆盖格局进行分析。结果表明:(1)泾河流域植被覆盖类型以退化草地和草地为主,二者占流域总面积的53.30%;地面覆盖程度较高的森林、疏林仅占流域总面积的9.83%,流域植被覆盖程度较低。(2)受自然环境条件和人类活动的影响,退化草地、稀疏灌丛、郁闭灌丛和疏林破碎化程度较为严重,对地面覆盖程度最低的退化草地除集中分布于流域北部外,主要零散分布于流域中、南部,其斑块形状复杂多样,数量最多,应成为流域植被恢复的重点。(3)各植被覆盖类型的斑快数量组成以小斑块所占比例最大,最小斑块比率均在50.0%以上;森林的斑块面积多样性最大,草地的斑块面积多样性最小。     

喀斯特石漠化及其景观生态学研究展望

喀斯特石漠化是广泛分布于我国西南喀斯特地区的一种生态灾害,近30年来其扩展速度明显加快,严重制约了我国西南地区的经济发展和生态质量的提高。首先从概念、成因及防治等方面探讨了目前喀斯特石漠化的研究现状,并指出石漠化研究中的不足,主要表现为研究内容较片面,缺乏定量研究,标准不统一和缺乏景观水平上的研究。景观生态学有其特有的理论优势和方法体系,若利用景观生态学的理论和研究方法来研究石漠化,可以解决目前石漠化研究中的某些相关问题。最后,在此基础上,从景观生态学的角度出发,展望了喀斯特石漠化未来研究的4个方向,即景观格局变化、景观异质性及其分区、石漠化过程空间动态模拟和生物多样性.     

农作物种植结构与农民收入及其对环境影响的分析

农民增收问题是三农问题的重要环节。本文以湖南省张家界市慈利县零溪镇大庄村第五、八、十六组为研究对象,分析了自1980年实行土地包产到户以来农作物种植结构的变化及农民收入之间的关系,认为在本地以柑橘为主的单一类型农作物规模化经营最有利于降低农民劳动强度、提高农民收入,对环境既有正面影响也有负面影响,并对其带来的环境影响提出了思考和建议。     

农村多水塘系统景观结构对非点源污染中氮截留效应的影响

多水塘系统在滞留和降解农业面源污染中发挥着巨大作用.不同景观结构特征的多水塘系统对农业面源污染的截留率也存在差异.本文针对多水塘系统的功能及特点,选择4个不同景观结构的小流域作为研究区域,分析降雨前后多水塘系统水环境的变化特征及其对氮元素的截留情况,并揭示其截留率与水塘系统景观结构之间的关系.结果表明:(1)雨前水塘水体中总氮(TN)浓度的变化范围在1. 32～6. 32 mg·L~(-1)之间,雨后TN质量浓度增加到2. 8～16. 99 mg·L~(-1)之间,其中,硝氮(NO_3~--N)占TN的质量分数为20%～74%;(2)多水塘系统对TN、NO_3~--N和氨氮(NH_4~+-N)的平均截留率分别为50. 09%、48. 71%和52. 75%;(3)小流域1中的水塘系统对氮的截留率最低,平均次降水过程中小流域2中的水塘系统对氮的截留量最低,仅为56. 10kg,远低于小流域4中水塘系统对氮的截留量324. 43kg;(4)多水塘系统对氮的截留率受到水塘个数、面积及水塘与水塘之间沟渠密度的影响,其中沟渠密度对氮截留率的影响最大.本研究结果可为农村多水塘系统的管理及规划提供科学依据.     

天津市滨海新区湿地景观格局变化及驱动力分析

湿地是生态系统的重要组成部分,是人类最重要的生存环境之一。天津滨海新区拥有丰富的湿地资源,但近年来随着经济的发展,人类活动的增强及相关政策的执行,湿地资源受到严重威胁。为全面掌握滨海新区近年来的湿地景观格局动态变化历程,本文以1986年、1996年、2006年和2016年TM遥感影像为主要数据源,运用遥感等技术手段,对滨海新区近30年来湿地景观格局时空演化进行动态分析、质心分析及指数分析,并简要讨论了湿地景观变化的主要驱动因子。结果表明：近30年间滨海新区湿地退化情况严重,累计退化面积达524.762 km²,其中2006?—?2016年湿地面积减幅最大,高达407.947 km²,减少区域集中分布在环渤海地带的淤泥质沙滩和浅海水域,转化后类型以建设用地为主。景观动态分析及质心分析结果表明：景观整体变化特征为破碎度逐渐增强、景观形状日趋复杂、景观生态功能日益减弱、景观分布向均衡化发展,整体湿地质心不断向内陆推移。驱动力分析结果显示：经济发展、人口增长和政策调控等人为因素是该时期景观格局变化的主要驱动因素。