Estimating the footprint of pollution on coral reefs with models of species turnover

Ecological communities typically change along gradients of human impact, although it is difficult to estimate the footprint of impacts for diffuse threats such as pollution. We developed a joint model (i.e., one that includes multiple species and their interactions with each other and environmental covariates) of benthic habitats on lagoonal coral reefs and used it to infer change in benthic composition along a gradient of distance from logging operations. The model estimated both changes in abundances of benthic groups and their compositional turnover, a type of beta diversity. We used the model to predict the footprint of turbidity impacts from past and recent logging. Benthic communities far from logging were dominated by branching corals, whereas communities close to logging had higher cover of dead coral, massive corals, and soft sediment. Recent impacts were predicted to be small relative to the extensive impacts of past logging because recent logging has occurred far from lagoonal reefs. Our model can be used more generally to estimate the footprint of human impacts on ecosystems and evaluate the benefits of conservation actions for ecosystems.     

Cost‐Effectiveness of Using Small Vertebrates as Indicators of Disturbance

In species‐rich tropical forests, effective biodiversity management demands measures of progress, yet budgetary limitations typically constrain capacity of decision makers to assess response of biological communities to habitat change. One approach is to identify ecological‐disturbance indicator species (EDIS) whose monitoring is also monetarily cost‐effective. These species can be identified by determining individual species’ responses to disturbance across a gradient; however, such responses may be confounded by factors other than disturbance. For example, in mountain environments the effects of anthropogenic habitat alteration are commonly confounded by elevation. EDIS have been identified with the indicator value (IndVal) metric, but there are weaknesses in the application of this approach in complex montane systems. We surveyed birds, small mammals, bats, and leaf‐litter lizards in differentially disturbed cloud forest of the Ecuadorian Andes. We then incorporated elevation in generalized linear (mixed) models (GL(M)M) to screen for EDIS in the data set. Finally, we used rarefaction of species accumulation data to compare relative monetary costs of identifying and monitoring EDIS at equal sampling effort, based on species richness. Our GL(M)M generated greater numbers of EDIS but fewer characteristic species relative to IndVal. In absolute terms birds were the most cost‐effective of the 4 taxa surveyed. We found one low‐cost bird EDIS. In terms of the number of indicators generated as a proportion of species richness, EDIS of small mammals were the most cost‐effective. Our approach has the potential to be a useful tool for facilitating more sustainable management of Andean forest systems. Rentabilidad del Uso de Pequeños Vertebrados como Indicadores de Perturbaciones     

Using community‐level metrics to monitor the effects of marine protected areas on biodiversity

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are used to protect species, communities, and their associated habitats, among other goals. Measuring MPA efficacy can be challenging, however, particularly when considering responses at the community level. We gathered 36 abundance and 14 biomass data sets on fish assemblages and used meta‐analysis to evaluate the ability of 22 distinct community diversity metrics to detect differences in community structure between MPAs and nearby control sites. We also considered the effects of 6 covariates—MPA size and age, MPA size and age interaction, latitude, total species richness, and level of protection—on each metric. Some common metrics, such as species richness and Shannon diversity, did not differ consistently between MPA and control sites, whereas other metrics, such as total abundance and biomass, were consistently different across studies. Metric responses derived from the biomass data sets were more consistent than those based on the abundance data sets, suggesting that community‐level biomass differs more predictably than abundance between MPA and control sites. Covariate analyses indicated that level of protection, latitude, MPA size, and the interaction between MPA size and age affect metric performance. These results highlight a handful of metrics, several of which are little known, that could be used to meet the increasing demand for community‐level indicators of MPA effectiveness.     

Fecal contamination in irrigation water and microbial quality of vegetable primary production in urban farms of Metro Manila,Philippines

Microbial contamination of fresh produce can present a severe risk to public health. By conducting a rigorous survey of irrigation waters, the impacts of fecal contamination on the quality of produce could be assessed. In this study, surface waters were observed to be contaminated with Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and somatic coliphages. Culture methods show that out of 373 irrigation water, soil, and vegetable samples collected for a 1-year period, 232 (62.20%) were found positive for E. coli, 213 (57.26%) for somatic coliphages, and 2 (0.53%) for Salmonella spp. Out of 190 water samples, 167 (87.9%) were found to have E.coli, 174 (91.6%) have somatic coliphages, and 1 (0.5%) with Salmonella spp. In soil samples, 36 of 91 (39.6%) have E. coli, 31 (34.0%) have somatic coliphages, and none with Salmonella spp. Lastly, out of 92 vegetable samples, 29 (31.5%), 8 (8.7%), and 1 (1.1%) were found to have E. coli, somatic coliphages, and Salmonella spp., respectively. Molecular analysis confirmed the presence of bacterial contaminants. Seasonal weather conditions were noted to have an effect on the presence and number of these fecal indicator organisms. The observed data suggest that contaminated irrigation water may greatly affect the quality of fresh produce from these agricultural operations.     

Selection of Multiple Umbrella Species for Functional and Taxonomic Diversity to Represent Urban Biodiversity

Surrogates, such as umbrella species, are commonly used to reduce the complexity of quantifying biodiversity for conservation purposes. The presence of umbrella species is often indicative of high taxonomic diversity; however, functional diversity is now recognized as an important metric for biodiversity and thus should be considered when choosing umbrella species. We identified umbrella species associated with high taxonomic and functional biodiversity in urban areas in Switzerland. We analyzed 39,752 individuals of 574 animal species from 96 study plots and 1397 presences of 262 plant species from 58 plots. Thirty‐one biodiversity measures of 7 taxonomic groups (plants, spiders, bees, ground beetles, lady bugs, weevils and birds) were included in within‐ and across‐taxa analyses. Sixteen measures were taxonomical (species richness and species diversity), whereas 15 were functional (species traits including mobility, resource use, and reproduction). We used indicator value analysis to identify umbrella species associated with single or multiple biodiversity measures. Many umbrella species were indicators of high biodiversity within their own taxonomic group (from 33.3% in weevils to 93.8% in birds), to a lesser extent they were indicators across taxa. Principal component analysis revealed that umbrella species for multiple measures of biodiversity represented different aspects of biodiversity, especially with respect to measures of taxonomic and functional diversity. Thus, even umbrella species for multiple measures of biodiversity were complementary in the biodiversity aspects they represented. Thus, the choice of umbrella species based solely on taxonomic diversity is questionable and may not represent biodiversity comprehensively. Our results suggest that, depending on conservation priorities, managers should choose multiple and complementary umbrella species to assess the state of biodiversity. Selección de Múltiples Especies Paraguas para la Diversidad Funcional y Taxonómica para Representar la Biodiversidad Urbana     

Clay mineralogy affects the efficiency of sewage sludge in reducing lead retention of soils

Recent studies have shown the feasibility of using of sewage sludge for the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils. However, there are no researches to check the influence of clay mineralogy on the efficiency of the sewage sludge to remediation of contaminated soils with heavy metals. For this purpose, we use two contrasting soils:Oxisol rich in hematite and gibbsite and Inceptisol rich in kaolinite. Thermal-treated sludge was applied to Pb-contaminated soil samples and incubated for 40 days. The soil samples were submitted to seven sequential extractions: soluble-Pb, exchangeable-Pb,precipitated-Pb, organic matter-Pb, Fe and Mn oxide-Pb, gibbsite and kaolinite-Pb, and residual-Pb. The reduction of soluble Pb forms by thermal sludge application was more pronounced in the Oxisol than in the Inceptisol because of the conversion of soluble-Pb into more stable forms, such as precipitated-Pb and oxides-Pb. For Inceptisol was necessary to apply high rates of thermal sludge to reach a significant reduction in soluble-Pb contents. The addition of humic fractions in the form of thermal sludge increased the concentration of organic matter-Pb. In confined area, the use of sewage sludge to reduce the heavy metals levels in soils must be better considered, mainly in more weathered soils.     

生态系统价值核算指标体系研究

生态系统价值核算是开展生态系统保护成效评估的重要手段,也是支撑生态文明制度体系建设的关键技术之一.指标体系的设定是开展生态系统价值核算的重要前提和基础,但当前生态系统价值还缺少统一的核算指标,因此,在一定程度上制约了生态系统价值在生态系统管理与决策中的应用.在总结归纳当前生态系统价值相关指标体系的基础上,以服务于生态系统管理和相关绩效考核为目标,提出了包括生物生产性、人类收益性、保护成效性、实际发生性、实物度量性、数据可获性、持续更新性、非危害性在内的8项生态系统价值核算原则,筛选形成了包括7个功能类别、15个一级科目和26个二级科目的生态系统价值核算指标体系,并针对实物量达到一定数值才能形成服务的指标设定了核算基准.以厦门市为例探讨了这一指标体系的应用能力,其不仅包括了厦门市主要生态系统服务,而且体现了厦门市作为沿海旅游城市的区域特色.在此基础上,探索了开展生态系统价值统计核算的可能途径,主要包括建立生态系统价值统计核算公式,编制技术导则,开展培训、制定定期发布制度等,旨在为实现生态系统价值的业务核算及其应用提供技术支撑.      

基于污染物受纳量的城镇生活污水处理率指标研究

我国通过污水处理率来评价生活污水处理水平,但污水处理率仅考虑了污水处理设施进水处理的水量,忽略了雨污合流、地下水混入、抽取河水处理等原因导致的污染物收集水平不足.以成都市岷江外江流域为研究区域,开展了城镇生活污水收集和评价指标优化研究,提出了基于污染物受纳量的城镇生活污水污染物处理率概念和核算方法体系,在划分控制单元基础上,核算生活污水污染物的产生量和处理量.研究发现,该流域污水处理厂进水浓度普遍偏低,进水水质存在季节性波动,说明可能存在丰水期雨水、河水或地下水混入稀释的情况,枯水期的进水数据更能反映区域生活污水排放情况;传统污水处理率计算显示该流域污水处理率高于100%,但全流域的COD_Cr、氨氮和总磷污染物处理率分别为37.50%、36.25%和30.14%,与该流域的水环境质量特征和污水管网建设水平相符;在污水管网未完善的地区,采用污染物处理率更能有效评价和反映区域污水收集和处理程度.     

武昌东湖生物污染的研究及病毒指示物的初探

随着工业的发展和人口的增加,江河、湖泊等水体受到愈来愈严重的污染,尤其是靠近城镇的水体.其中生物污染主要是来自人群的粪便.有关部门选定大肠杆菌作为粪便污染的水体中各种肠道致病菌的指示物,并制定了一些相应的指标.但对于水中的肠道病毒,目前还没有一个统一的标准.     

Indicator system and evaluation framework for sustainable development

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＴｈｅｎｏｔｉｏｎｏｆｓｕｓｔａｉｎａｂｌｅｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｍｅｎｔｗａｓｐｒｏｐｏｓｅｄｉｎｔｈｅＷｏｒｌｄＣｏｎｓｅｒｖａｔｉｏｎＳｔｒａｔｅｇｙ（ＩＵＣＮ，１９８０）．Ｉｔｉｓｐｏｉｎｔｅｄｏｕｔｔｈａｔｔｈｅｃｏｎｓｅｒｖａｔｉｏｎａｎｄｔｈｅｓｕｓｔａｉｎａｂｌｅｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｍｅｎｔａｒｅｍｕｔｕａｌｌｙｄｅｐｅｎｄｅｎｔａｎｄｔｈｅｙｓｈｏｕｌｄｂｅｉｎｔｅｇｒａｔｅｄ，ｗｈｅｒｅｔｈｅｃｏｎｓｅｒｖａｔｉｏｎｍｅａｎｓｔｈｅｍａｎａｇｅｍｅｎｔｏｆｈｕｍａｎ…