Consequences of ignoring dispersal variation in network models for landscape connectivity

Habitat loss and fragmentation can negatively influence population persistence and biodiversity, but the effects can be mitigated if species successfully disperse between isolated habitat patches. Network models are the primary tool for quantifying landscape connectivity, yet in practice, an overly simplistic view of species dispersal is applied. These models often ignore individual variation in dispersal ability under the assumption that all individuals move the same fixed distance with equal probability. We developed a modeling approach to address this problem. We incorporated dispersal kernels into network models to determine how individual variation in dispersal alters understanding of landscape-level connectivity and implemented our approach on a fragmented grassland landscape in Minnesota. Ignoring dispersal variation consistently overestimated a population's robustness to local extinctions and underestimated its robustness to local habitat loss. Furthermore, a simplified view of dispersal underestimated the amount of habitat substructure for small populations but overestimated habitat substructure for large populations. Our results demonstrate that considering biologically realistic dispersal alters understanding of landscape connectivity in ecological theory and conservation practice.     

新疆和田河流域河川径流时序特征分析

根据新疆和田河流域3个测站的多年实测径流资料,从径流的年内分配和年际变化2个方面分析了和田河流域河川径流的变化特征。计算结果表明,在年内分配方面,由于径流补给来源的作用,流域径流绝大部分集中在夏季,这就使得径流年内分配不均匀系数和集中度普遍较高,而计算所得的集中期也与实测最大月径流出现的情况相吻合。在径流的年际变化方面,尽管和田河流域的年降雨量存在递增的趋势,但是由于源区高山的雪线高程上升、冰川退缩,再加上人类活动的影响越来越显著,从而导致流域的河川径流呈现微弱的下降趋势。经过周期图法分析得到,和田河流域的年径流量不存在明显的周期成分。     

Potential Reflection of Distinct Ecological Units in Plant Endemism Categories

Abstract: The level of endemism at a site may indicate species richness of the site. Nevertheless, assessing endemism levels in taxonomic groups such as plants may be difficult because the species richness of plants is high relative to species richness of other taxonomic groups (e.g., vertebrates). A major problem in determining whether plant species are endemic is the lack of standardization of the geographic extent of endemism: species are considered endemic to, for example, countries, continents, or states. We compiled a history of the concept of endemism as it applies to plants. The application of the concept to geographic distribution dates from the 19th century, when European explorers discovered many taxa exclusive to regions outside Europe. Two types of endemism, paleoendemism and neoendemism, were then acknowledged, according to evolutionary age, and these categories are still in use. In the 20th century, most of the research on endemism focused on explaining range restriction on the basis of cytological data, edaphic and geological factors, and phylogeny. This research led to a vast number of concepts, of which only edaphic endemism remains relatively well accepted. More recently, researchers suggest that competition may determine endemism in some cases. We suggest that plants be labeled as endemic only if their distribution occurs in a distinct ecological unit, such as a biome. On the basis of a literature review of the factors that cause range restriction, we categorized endemic taxa as paleoendemic, neoendemic, edaphically endemic, or suppressed endemic. For example, Schlechtendalia luzulifolia, is a rare forb that is a paleoendemic species of the granite and sandstone‐based grasslands of the Pampa. Levels of endemism in southern Brazilian grasslands are poorly known. We emphasize the importance of recognizing these grasslands as a single transnational biome so that levels of endemism of species therein can be assessed correctly.     

气温对长江上游巴塘站年径流的影响分析

为了深入分析气温对长江上游年径流的影响和解释青藏高原冰川融水再冻结现象的物理机制,采用对位置、尺度、形状的广义可加模型(简称GAMLSS)建立控制因素降水、气温、ATD与年径流量之间的关系。在GAMLSS框架下,气温影响因子可以用两种形式表示,一种是直接采用气温,另一种是采取ATD指数(累积气温亏损值)。通过比较不同解释变量组合下的GAMLSS模型,进而研究气温对长江上游巴塘站1960~2012年的年径流影响。结果表明:基于ATD的回归模型,在年径流序列服从对数正态分布假设的条件下拟合效果最优。与气温值相比,ATD指数能更有效地解释长江上游径流变化的特征和冰川产流的物理机制。研究成果对长江上游年径流预报、高原气候下的产流特征分析具有理论意义。     

Intrapopulation Differentiation by the Rates of Rosette Growth and Individual Plant Development in Narrow-Leaved Hawk’s Beard (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Crepis tectorum</Emphasis> L.): Aftereffects of Long-Term Stress

Aftereffects of exposure to long-term chemical pollution with fluorine and sulfur compounds on intrapopulation differentiation of the rates of growth and development has been studied on Crepis tectorum L. progenies obtained from seeds collected in a pollution gradient and grown in a greenhouse under uniform ecological conditions. The results have shown that long-term stress (exposure to toxic gaseous pollutants) leads to significant changes in the intrapopulation structure, which are manifested in an increase in the proportion of plants with a low rate of development, a low relative rate of the linear growth of metameres (leaves), but a higher relative rate of their formation.__________Translated from Ekologiya, No. 4, 2005, pp. 243–251.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Trubina.     

嘉陵江流域洪水区域分析

嘉陵江流域位于长江上游 ,是长江流域面积最大的支流 ,也是长江洪水的主要来源之一。用一种新的洪水区域分析方法———标度分析法对年最大洪峰流量区域变化的性质进行了研究。标度分析法的基本思想是认为在具有相似的地理、地质和气候条件的区域内洪水的空间变化满足标度不变性 ,将不同的地区划分成不同的区域 ,在同一子区域内用标度变换来对洪水资料进行处理 ,这种思想具有现实的普遍意义。对嘉陵江流域洪水资料研究的结果表明标度不变性在一定程度上确实存在 ,且表现出多标度性 ,也就是说不同频率 p下的标度指数θ(p)有不同的值。因此用标度分析法进行洪水区域分析是可行的。为了实际应用 ,最后还计算了嘉陵江流域不同频率p的标度指数θ(p)值 ,由这些结果可以实现由有资料地区的洪水资料对无资料地区洪水进行粗估     

PM2.5致卵巢癌的风险及城乡差异的生态学研究

为了评估PM_2.5排放导致女性生殖系统癌症的风险以及城乡差异,以卵巢癌为例,分析了中国东部地区2000~2011年期间PM_2.5和卵巢癌发病率和死亡率的相关关系,并估算了PM_2.5排放导致卵巢癌发病率和死亡率升高的风险.结果表明,城市地区卵巢癌发病率和死亡率显著高于农村,在城市地区,PM_2.5与卵巢癌发病率显著相关,PM_2.5年平均浓度每上升10μg/m³,城市地区卵巢癌发病率上升的相对风险为9.3%（相对于PM_2.5年平均浓度为35μg/m³时）,每十万人口升高0.51人.     

Associations of Grassland Bird Communities with Black‐Tailed Prairie Dogs in the North American Great Plains

Colonial burrowing herbivores can modify vegetation structure, create belowground refugia, and generate landscape heterogeneity, thereby affecting the distribution and abundance of associated species. Black‐tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are such a species, and they may strongly affect the abundance and composition of grassland bird communities. We examined how prairie dog colonies in the North American Great Plains affect bird species and community composition. Areas occupied by prairie dogs, characterized by low percent cover of grass, high percent cover of bare soil, and low vegetation height and density, supported a breeding bird community that differed substantially from surrounding areas that lacked prairie dogs. Bird communities on colony sites had significantly greater densities of large‐bodied carnivores (Burrowing Owls [Athene cunicularia], Mountain Plovers, [Charadrius montanus], and Killdeer [Charadrius vociferus]) and omnivores consisting of Horned Larks (Eremophila alpestris) and McCown's Longspurs (Rhynchophanes mccownii) than bird communities off colony sites. Bird communities off colony sites were dominated by small‐bodied insectivorous sparrows (Ammodramus spp.) and omnivorous Lark Buntings (Calamospiza melanocorys), Vesper Sparrows (Pooecetes gramineus), and Lark Sparrows (Chondestes grammacus). Densities of 3 species of conservation concern and 1 game species were significantly higher on colony sites than off colony sites, and the strength of prairie dog effects was consistent across the northern Great Plains. Vegetation modification by prairie dogs sustains a diverse suite of bird species in these grasslands. Collectively, our findings and those from previous studies show that areas in the North American Great Plains with prairie dog colonies support higher densities of at least 9 vertebrate species than sites without colonies. Prairie dogs affect habitat for these species through multiple pathways, including creation of belowground refugia, supply of prey for specialized predators, modification of vegetation structure within colonies, and increased landscape heterogeneity. Asociaciones de Comunidades de Aves de Pastizales con Perros de la Pradera en la Gran Llanura de Norte América     

人工湿地植物量及其对净化效果影响的研究

人工湿地污水处理系统中,植物对污水净化效果起着非常重要的作用,而植物量是植物生长的关键参数之一。为了明确植物量对污水处理效果的影响,在2002—2008年期间,详细测定了芦苇(Ph.australis Trin)、再力花(Thalia dealbata)、荻(M.sacchariflorus)和美人蕉(Canna indica)4种典型湿地植物不同年度的生物量、不同生长阶段的生物量、生物量年产率,以及同期湿地COD、BOD5、TN和TP等的去除率。结果表明:湿地植物在栽植成活、稳定生长以后,至少要再经过1个以上的生长周期才能完全适应湿地环境,达到生物量的最大值,其中芦苇根系和茎叶生物量显著高于其他植物;同种植物的植物量与COD、BOD5、TN去除率呈显著正相关,与TP相关性不强;植物量随生长周期的变化对湿地净化能力的影响显著,确定合理收割期有利于湿地的稳定运行;不同种类植物生物量年产率与各种污染物的去除率均显著相关,芦苇、再力花和美人蕉均具有较高的生物量年产率,污染物去除能力较好。在试验范围内,芦苇湿地的运行稳定性最好,再力花湿地具有最强的脱氮能力,美人蕉湿地能快速形成规模、实现稳定运行,这些为构建不同特点和不同需要的湿地提供了重要参考。