A systematic review of animal personality in conservation science

Although animal personality research may have applied uses, this suggestion has yet to be evaluated by assessing empirical studies examining animal personality and conservation. To address this knowledge gap, we performed a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature relating to conservation science and animal personality. Criteria for inclusion in our review included access to full text, primary research articles, and relevant animal conservation or personality focus (i.e., not human personality studies). Ninety-two articles met these criteria. We summarized the conservation contexts, testing procedures (including species and sample size), analytical approach, claimed personality traits (activity, aggression, boldness, exploration, and sociability), and each report's key findings and conservation-focused suggestions. Although providing evidence for repeatability in behavior is crucial for personality studies, repeatability quantification was implemented in only half of the reports. Nonetheless, each of the 5 personality traits were investigated to some extent in a range of conservations contexts. The most robust studies in the field showed variance in how personality relates to other ecologically important variables across species and contexts. Moreover, many studies were first attempts at using personality for conservation purposes in a given study system. Overall, it appears personality is not yet a fully realized tool for conservation. To apply personality research to conservation problems, we suggest researchers think about where individual differences in behavior may affect conservation outcomes in their system, assess where there are opportunities for repeated measures, and follow the most current methodological guides on quantifying personality.     

USB反应器进行生物反硝化的研究现状与应用前景

综述了USB反应器进行生物反硝化的历史沿革、研究现状 ,并对其在研究中存在的问题进行了描述。最后 ,对USB反应器进行生物反硝化的应用前景作了科学的分析     

清代闽台地区自然灾害及其救治办法研究

清朝,闽台已经成为自然灾害的多发地区,常见的灾害有洪水、干旱、台风、地震与瘟疫等.对福建危害最大的是水灾,对台湾危害最大的则是风灾.两岸人民为抗击自然灾害而共同努力,清地方政府采取多项救灾措施如蠲免、赈粮、捐赀及赋予台湾官员独断财权以应付突发灾情等,并取得了一定成效.     

The development of aquaculture on the northern coast of Manila Bay (Philippines): an analysis of long-term land-use changes and their causes

This study documents the event chronology and causes of land-use change in a deltaic region of the Philippines since the beginnings of aquaculture in the late nineteenth century. Satellite images and topographic maps spanning the period 1972–2013 were processed to map fishponds and the natural habitats over which they have encroached. Historical archives were consulted and interviews were conducted to understand the historical exploitation of local natural resources and the reasons behind the recorded land changes. Results showed that aquaculture developed in the late nineteenth century and expanded subsequently across the landscape under a succession of forcing factors. The global market, for example, played an early role but a number of land-use changes were also a direct response to changing environmental constraints and natural hazards. These cumulative events have promoted continuous gain in favor of aquaculture, to the detriment of other land-use options.     

Benefits and challenges of streamlined life-cycle assessment for SMEs – findings from case studies on climate change impacts

ABSTRACT

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have a substantial role in the economy and job creation, but they are a remarkable source of environmental impacts. SMEs often lack skills and resources to compile environmental impact assessments; Streamlined Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) can provide efficient tools for this. An application of streamlined LCA relying heavily on database data, LCA clinic, was developed and tested on 23 SMEs in Finland. The climate change impacts were mainly caused by the production of raw materials, electricity and heating, whereas packaging and transportation were not influential. A significant amount of emissions were indirect, i.e. caused by production of raw materials. Thus, decreasing emissions from raw material production or selecting raw materials with a smaller environmental load could be a more efficient way to decrease emissions than reducing direct emissions such as those from electricity use. Lack of data in the LCA-databases was considered a challenge. An access to regionally customised datasets is important for the implementation of LCA clinics. Company feedback indicated that LCA clinics were useful in climate-friendly product design and increased environmental awareness, but did not lead to immediate actions to reduce emissions because of inadequate investment capabilities. Company managers had limited possibilities to use the results in marketing as comparative assessments would require a full LCA. Many company managers were willing to pay a fee sufficient to cover the costs of an LCA clinic, but some considered that the costs should be covered by external funding sources.     

Emergy analysis using US economic input-output models with applications to life cycles of gasoline and corn ethanol

A commonly encountered challenge in emergy analysis is the lack of transformity data for many economic products and services. To overcome this challenge, emergy analysts approximate the emergy input from the economy via a single emergy/money ratio for the country and the monetary price of economic inputs. This amounts to assuming homogeneity in the entire economy, and can introduce serious uncertainties in the results. This paper proposes and demonstrates the use of a thermodynamically augmented economic input-output model of the US economy for obtaining sector-specific emergy to money ratios that can be used instead of a single ratio. These ratios at the economy scale are more accurate than a single economy-wide emergy/money ratio, and can be obtained quickly for hundreds of economic products and services. Comparing sector-specific emergy/money ratios with those from conventional emergy studies indicates that the input-output model can provide reasonable estimates of transformities at least as a stop-gap measure until more detailed analysis is completed. A hybrid approach to emergy analysis is introduced and compared with conventional emergy analysis using life cycles of corn ethanol and gasoline as examples. Emergy and transformity data from the hybrid approach are similar to those from conventional emergy analysis, indicating the usefulness of the proposed approach. In addition, this work proposes the metric of return on emergy investment for assessing product alternatives with the same utility such as transportation fuels. The proposed approach and data may be used easily via web-based software.     

The representation of cyanobacteria life cycle processes in aquatic ecosystem models

Two simplified versions of a numerical life cycle model for diazotrophic cyanobacteria (of the order Nostocales) are developed and evaluated. Both consider two-life cycle stages, one growing, nitrogen-fixing stage and one stage that combines the resting, germinating and vegetative stages. The versions differ in the vertical resolution of the non-diazotrophic stage: version 1 collects the biomass in one layer at the bottom, version 2 considers sinking and rising of biomass explicitly. The results of the two versions are compared with a complex cyanobacteria life cycle model which describes four different life cycle stages each with two internal quotas for energy and nitrogen. The two simplified approaches show a good agreement with respect to the main characteristics of cyanobacteria dynamics (timing and duration of blooms, magnitude of nitrogen fixation, interannual variability). Our model study shows that both simplified approaches are suitable to be implemented into three-dimensional coastal or lake models.     

Habitat Split as a Cause of Local Population Declines of Amphibians with Aquatic Larvae

Abstract:  Most amphibian species have biphasic life histories and undergo an ontogenetic shift from aquatic to terrestrial habitats. In deforested landscapes, streams and forest fragments are frequently disjunct, jeopardizing the life cycle of forest-associated amphibians with aquatic larvae. We tested the impact of habitat split—defined as human-induced disconnection between habitats used by different life-history stages of a species—on four forest-associated amphibian species in a severely fragmented landscape of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We surveyed amphibians in forest fragments with and without streams (referred to as wet and dry fragments, respectively), including the adjacent grass-field matrix. Our comparison of capture rates in dry fragments and nearby streams in the matrix allowed us to evaluate the number of individuals that engaged in high-risk migrations through nonforested habitats. Adult amphibians moved from dry fragments to matrix streams at the beginning of the rainy season, reproduced, and returned at the end of the breeding period. Juveniles of the year moved to dry fragments along with adults. These risky reproductive migrations through nonforested habitats that expose individuals to dehydration, predation, and other hazards may cause population declines in dry fragments. Indeed, capture rates were significantly lower in dry fragments compared with wet fragments. Declining amphibians would strongly benefit from investments in the conservation and restoration of riparian vegetation and corridors linking breeding and nonbreeding areas.     

两种光照生境下4种常绿阔叶树的单位叶面积干重、光合能力与化学防御物质含量比较

亚热带常绿阔叶林下分布着可塑性强的耐荫植物,其叶片应对外界干扰的防御对策至少有物理性防御和化学性防御两种,这两种防御代价在一定的昆虫取食压力下在理论上应该存在权衡.为检验这种权衡是否普遍存在,分别测定了重庆缙云山4个常绿物种——光叶山矾(Symplocos lancifolia)、四川山矾(S.setchuensis)、四川毛蕊茶(Camellialawii)和细枝柃(Eurya loquaiana)在林窗和林下两种对照光环境下个体叶片的光饱和下的净光合速率、叶面积干重和部分化学防御物质含量.结果表明,4个物种生活在林窗的个体单位叶面积干重、叶片氮含量和单位面积净光合速率通常高于林下的个体,但是单位质量和单位面积的总酚含量和C/N值却低于林下的个体.蛋白质和非结构性碳水化合物含量在不同生境中没有显著差异.因为不同物种叶片对光照条件的响应不同,不同参数的变化在两种生境间的差异并不完全一致.本研究结果在一定程度上暗示了物种在林窗和林下分别倾向于采取物理和化学性防御对策,并初步证实了两种防御强度之间存在权衡关系.图4参40     

镉、汞、铅和石油烃复合污染对渤海湾常见渔业资源生物的影响初探(Effects of the Combined Pollution of Cd, Hg, Pb and Petroleum Hydrocarbons on Common Fishery Species in the Bohai Bay)

通过对1996～2005年渤海湾近岸海域海水镉、汞、铅和石油烃浓度变化的分析,发现海水中镉浓度呈明显上升趋势,汞、铅和石油烃则无明显变化趋势.加速生命试验法模型(Accelerated Life Testing model)的研究显示,1996～2005年渤海湾近岸海域海水镉、汞和铅平均浓度均已超过其对渤海湾常见渔业资源生物的安全浓度.镉、汞、铅和石油烃对生物的长期致死率鱼类分别为4.5%、16.3%、0.0%和12.0%,甲壳类为0.4%、7.9%、0.3%和6.6%,双壳类为10.5%、0.2%、0.2%和2.3%.效应加和模型(Independence Action model)的估算表明,在镉、汞、铅和石油烃组成的复合污染条件下,渤海湾常见鱼类、甲壳类和双壳类的长期死亡率分别为29.7%、14.6%和12.9%,其种群增长率分别降低约6.4%、14.6%和12.9%.与镉、汞、铅和石油烃单种污染物暴露相比,其复合污染导致的渤海湾常见渔业资源生物种群(鱼类、甲壳类和双壳类)增长率的降低更明显.因此,复合污染是导致渤海湾渔业资源衰退的重要因素。