Utility participation in a multispecies plan

Single-species listings under provisions of the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) have caused, or have been accused of causing, significant regional economic impact. In an attempt to avoid such adverse effects on regional economic development, the state of California passed the Natural Communities Conservation Planning Act (NCCP) in 1991. It is a voluntary, consensus-based approach to balancing protection of sensitive biota and biodiversity with regional economic development. The pilot NCCP program for the conservation of several threatened, endangered, and category 1 species, plus an additional 35 coastal sage scrub-related species in southern California, was completed and submitted to the public for review and comment in December 1995. This program proposes the voluntary establishment of a 86,600-ha multispecies reserve system. Once completed, participating landowners will receive ESA Section 10(a) incidental take permits for present and identified future projects. Utility rights-of-way are incorporated into the program as important connective linkages between reserve units and other adjacent important habitat areas. All data and information regarding the proposed results of the NCCP are subject to change pending agency response to public comments on the draft Habitat Conservation Plan and joint EIR/EIS.     

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.     

长三角典型城郊土壤抗生素空间分布的影响因素研究

阐明土壤抗生素的空间分布特征对于认识抗生素的空间扩散和迁移过程、控制土壤抗生素污染、维护土壤安全具有重要意义.本研究通过空间采样,系统分析了长三角地区典型城郊流域土壤抗生素的空间分布特征,并探讨了人类活动、土壤性质和微生物群落对土壤抗生素分布的影响.结果表明,农田土壤中抗生素含量显著高于园地和林地,其中,检出浓度顺序为:四环素类(TCs)喹诺酮类(QNs)大环内酯类(MLs)磺胺类(SAs),平均含量分别为41.43、11.38、0.15、0.09μg·kg~(-1),农田土壤抗生素含量与有机肥施用密切相关.Spearman相关分析结果表明,TCs、QNs、SAs及抗生素总含量与距城镇距离、距道路距离、海拔及C/N具有显著的负相关性(p0.05),表明这3类抗生素的空间分布受人类活动的强烈影响,而MLs含量与人类活动的关系则较弱.土壤养分、颗粒组成、pH、容重等对抗生素的吸附、迁移、降解等环境行为具有强烈的影响,其空间异质性影响了土壤抗生素空间分布的差异性.土壤微生物群落与土壤抗生素之间具有较为复杂的联系,研究发现,部分变形菌门、酸杆菌门、拟杆菌门、放线菌门及浮霉菌门细菌与土壤抗生素含量呈现负相关.方差分解分析揭示出土壤性质、人类活动及其相互作用是土壤抗生素空间分布的主要影响因素,对土壤抗生素分布空间变化的总解释度接近于58%,达到了较高水平.     

Fe (Ⅱ)对反硝化过程及其功能微生物群落的影响

以华南稻田土壤为研究对象,通过室内模拟控制实验,研究了Fe （Ⅱ）对厌氧稻田土壤中反硝化过程及其功能微生物群落结构组成与相对丰度的影响.结果表明,加入Fe （Ⅱ）减缓了土壤中NO₃^-的还原,但促进了NO₂^-的还原和N₂O的生成;同时Fe （Ⅱ）只在Soil+Fe （Ⅱ）+NO₃^-处理中发生氧化.通过定量PCR结果发现,Fe （Ⅱ）的加入提高了亚硝酸盐还原基因nirS和N₂O还原基因nosZ的拷贝数;但降低了细胞膜硝酸盐还原基因narG的拷贝数.通过高通量和克隆文库分析发现,Fe （Ⅱ）的加入主要对napA-周质硝酸盐还原微生物群落结构有明显影响,Soil+NO₃^-处理中优势菌是Dechloromonas,而Soil+Fe （Ⅱ）+NO₃^-处理中为Azonexus、Dechloromonas和Azospira.Fe （Ⅱ）对厌氧稻田中的反硝化过程及其功能微生物群落具有显著影响,这对了解华南红壤地区稻田体系中的氮元素循环与铁元素转化的关系具有重要意义.     

Water level fluctuations influence microbial communities and mercury methylation in soils in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

Reservoirs tend to have enhanced methylmercury(MeHg) concentrations compared to natural lakes and rivers, and water level fluctuations can promote MeHg production. Until now, little research has been conducted on the effects of microorganisms in soils for the formation of MeHg during different drying and flooding alternating conditions in the Three Gorges Reservoir(TGR). This study aimed to understand how water level fluctuations affect soil microbial composition and mercury concentrations, and if such microbial variations are related to Hg methylation. The results showed that MeHg concentrations and the ratios of MeHg to THg(MeHg%) in soils were higher in the seasonally drying and flooding alternating areas(DFAs, 175–155 m) than those in the non-inundated(NIAs, 175 m) and inundated areas(IAs, 145 m). However, MeHg% in all samples was less than 1%, indicating that the Hg methylation activity in the soils of the TGR was under a low level. 454 highthroughput sequencing of 16 S rRNA gene amplicons showed that soil bacterial abundance and diversity were relatively higher in DFA compared to those in NIA and IA, and microbial community composition varied in these three areas. At the family level, those groups in Deltaproteobacteria and Methanomicrobia that might have many Hg methylators were also showed a higher relative abundance in DFA, which might be the reason for the higher MeHg production in these areas. Overall, our results suggested that seasonally water level fluctuations can enhance the microbial abundance and diversity, as well as MeHg production in the TGR.     

东洞庭湖湿地鸟类群落组成分析

2005年7月至2006年7月期间对东洞庭湖湿地鸟类进行了调查,共观察记录到208种,隶属于16目43科,同时对鸟类的区系组成、居留型、生态类型及重点保护鸟类进行了分析.图3,表3,参4.     

When Agendas Collide: Human Welfare and Biological Conservation

Abstract:  Conservation should benefit ecosystems, nonhuman organisms, and current and future human beings. Nevertheless, tension among these goals engenders potential ethical conflicts: conservationists' true motivations may differ from the justifications they offer for their activities, and conservation projects have the potential to disempower and oppress people. We reviewed the promise and deficiencies of integrating social, economic, and biological concerns into conservation, focusing on research in ecosystem services and efforts in community-based conservation. Despite much progress, neither paradigm provides a silver bullet for conservation's most pressing problems, and both require additional thought and modification to become maximally effective. We conclude that the following strategies are needed to make conservation more effective in our human-dominated world. (1) Conservation research needs to integrate with social scholarship in a more sophisticated manner. (2) Conservation must be informed by a detailed understanding of the spatial, temporal, and social distributions of costs and benefits of conservation efforts. Strategies should reflect this understanding, particularly by equitably distributing conservation's costs. (3) We must better acknowledge the social concerns that accompany biodiversity conservation; accordingly, sometimes we must argue for conservation for biodiversity's sake, not for its direct human benefits.     

现代分子生物技术在废水菌群监测中的应用

荧光原位杂交、DNA指纹等现代分子生物技术在废水治理过程中得到了广泛的应用。对现代分子技术的分类及其在废水菌群监测中的应用进行了简要的论述,并通过各类技术间的比较,提出其潜在的问题及应用前景。     

Spatial scales and probability based sampling in determining levels of benthic community degradation in the Chesapeake Bay

The extent of degradation of benthic communities of the Chesapeake Bay was determined by applying a previously developed benthic index of biotic integrity at three spatial scales. Allocation of sampling was probability-based allowing areal estimates of degradation with known confidence intervals. The three spatial scales were: (1) the tidal Chesapeake Bay; (2) the Elizabeth River watershed; and (3) two small tidal creeks within the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River that are part of a sediment contaminant remediation effort. The areas covered varied from 10^–1 to 10⁴ km² and all were sampled in 1999. The Chesapeake Bay was divided into ten strata, the Elizabeth River into five strata and each of the two tidal creeks was a single stratum. The determination of the number and size of strata was based upon consideration of both managerially useful units for restoration and limitations of funding. Within each stratum 25 random locations were sampled for benthic community condition. In 1999 the percent of the benthos with poor benthic community condition for the entire Chesapeake Bay was 47% and varied from 20% at the mouth of the Bay to 72% in the Potomac River. The estimated area of benthos with poor benthic community condition for the Elizabeth River was 64% and varied from 52–92%. Both small tidal creeks had estimates of 76% of poor benthic community condition. These kinds of estimates allow environmental managers to better direct restoration efforts and evaluate progress towards restoration. Patterns of benthic community condition at smaller spatial scales may not be correctly inferred from larger spatial scales. Comparisons of patterns in benthic community condition across spatial scales, and between combinations of strata, must be cautiously interpreted.