Finding all optimal solutions to the reserve site selection problem: formulation and computational analysis

The problem of selecting nature reserves has received increased attention in the literature during the past decade, and a variety of approaches have been promoted for selecting those sites to include in a reserve network. One set of techniques employs heuristic algorithms and thus provides possibly sub-optimal solutions. Another set of models and accompanying algorithms uses an integer programming formulation of the problem, resulting in an optimization problem known as the Maximal Covering Problem, or MCP. Solution of the MCP provides an optimal solution to the reserve site selection problem, and while various algorithms can be employed for solving the MCP they all suffer from the disadvantage of providing a single optimal solution dictating the selection of areas for conservation. In order to provide complete information to decision makers, the determination of all alternate optimal solutions is necessary. This paper explores two procedures for finding all such solutions. We describe the formulation and motivation of each method. A computational analysis on a data set describing native terrestrial vertebrates in the state of Oregon illustrates the effectiveness of each approach.     

Uptake and elimination kinetics of triphenyltin hydroxide by two fish species

The uptake from water and the elimination of carbon‐14 radiolabelled triphenyltin hydroxide ([¹⁴C]TPTH) was studied in two fish species: guppy (Poecilia reticulata) and rainbow trout larvae (Salmo gairdneri). During all the experiments no steady state in fish was found. TPTH was rapidly taken up, while elimination was very slow. Uptake and elimination rate constants (k ₁ and k ₂, respectively), and a bioconcentration factor were estimated, assuming first order kinetics.

During eight days of exposure of guppy to TPTH an uptake rate constant k ₁ of 70±7L/kg.d and an elimination rate constant k ₂ of 0.005 ±0.029d ^‐1 was found. This resulted in a biconcentration factor of at least 2.1 × 10³L/kg (wet weight). Comparable results were obtained during a 30 days exposure experiment with guppy: k ₁ was 41±2L/kg.d, k ₂ 0.014 + 0.002d^‐1, and the bioconcentration factor was estimated to be 2.9 × 10³ L/kg (wet weight).

Four days exposure of rainbow trout larvae resulted in a it, of 22+ 2 L/kg.d, and a k ₂ of 0.031 ±0.007d^‐1. Using these k, and k ₂ values it was estimated that the biconcentration factor exceeds 650 L/kg (wet weight).     

饲料添加剂叔丁基对羟基茴香醚和抗生素诺氟沙星对剑尾鱼的毒性效应

研究了叔丁基对羟基茴香醚(butylated hydroxyanisole,BHA)和诺氟沙星(norfloxacin,NFLX)对剑尾鱼的急性毒性及其肝脏谷胱甘肽硫转移酶(GST)、丙二醛(MDA)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)及7-乙氧基异吩恶唑酮-脱乙基酶(EROD)活性的影响.结果表明,BHA和NFLX对剑尾鱼毒性大小分别属于高毒和低毒.BHA的暴露浓度为0.20mg·L-1和0.04mg·L-1时,GST和CAT活性诱导分别达到最大值;NFLX的暴露浓度为5mg·L-1时,GST和CAT均受到最大程度的诱导.随着BHA和NFLX暴露浓度的增加,GST和CAT呈现出先诱导后抑制的典型\"钟型曲线\"变化规律,而MDA含量和EROD活性则逐渐增加.其中,MDA和EROD响应较为敏感,适合作为BHA和NFLX暴露的生物标记物.雌雄个体酶响应的敏感程度存在一定的差异,雄性个体比雌性个体敏感.     

Rapid Evolution in the Wild: Changes in Body Size, Life-History Traits, and Behavior in Hunted Populations of the Japanese Mamushi Snake

Abstract:  Rapid evolution caused by human exploitation of wildlife is not usually addressed in studies of the impacts of such exploitation despite its direct relevance to population persistence. Japanese mamushi ( Gloydius blomhoffii ), an endemic venomous snake of the Japanese archipelago, has been heavily hunted by humans, and many populations appear to be declining or are already extirpated. We compared local populations that have been hunted regularly with populations that have not been hunted. Mamushi in hunted populations were smaller, had fewer vertebrae, produced more and smaller offspring, had increased reproductive effort among smaller females, and in nature fled at greater distances from an approaching human and were less defensive than mamushi in unhunted populations, as predicted from life-history theory. Heritability estimates for body size, number of vertebrae, and antipredator behavior were statistically significant, and neonates from hunted sites showed the same distribution of altered characters (compared with those from unhunted sites) as adults. Thus, distribution of the divergent trait between hunted and unhunted sites appeared in part to be genetically based, which suggests rapid evolution to human predation pressures. Trait distributions in hunted populations probably deviate from naturally (as opposed to anthropogenically) selected optima and, therefore, may have long-term negative repercussions on population persistence. Because rapid evolution affects a suite of parameters that characterize exploited populations, accurate understanding of the impacts of exploitation and effective resource management and conservation can only be achieved if evolutionary consequences are considered explicitly.     

Impacts of Alternative Timber Harvest Practices on Leaf-Chewing Herbivores of Oak

Abstract:  Studies of the effects of logging on Lepidoptera rarely address landscape-level effects or effects on larval, leaf-feeding stages. We examined the impacts of uneven-aged and even-aged logging on the abundance, richness, and community structure of leaf-chewing insects of white ( Quercus alba L.) and black ( Q. velutina L.) oak trees remaining in unharvested areas by sampling 3 years before and 7 years after harvest. After harvest, white oaks in uneven-aged sites had 32% fewer species of leaf-chewing insects than control sites. This reduction in species richness may have resulted from changes in microclimate (reducing plant quality and/or changing leaf phenology) that affected a much larger total area of each site than did even-aged cuts. For black oak after harvest, species richness in uneven- and even-aged sites increased relative to levels before harvest. Harvesting did not alter total insect density or community structure in the unlogged habitat for either oak species with one exception: insect density on black oak increased in the oldest forest block. Community structure of herbivores of black and white oaks in clearcut gaps differed from that of oaks in intact areas of even-aged sites. Furthermore, both richness and total insect density of black oaks were reduced in clearcut gaps. We suggest that low-level harvests alter herbivore species richness at the landscape level. Treatment effects were subtle because we sampled untreated areas of logged landscapes, only one harvest had occurred, and large temporal and spatial variation in abundance and richness existed. Although the effects of logging were greater in uneven-aged sites, the effects of even-aged management are likely to increase as harvesting continues.     

多氯联苯(PCBs)污染对秋茄Kandelia candel生长的影响

通过盆栽实验研究了不同浓度(180×10-9、900×10-9、1 800×10-9和2 700×10-9)的多氯联苯(PCBs)对红树植物秋茄Kandelia candel幼苗生长的影响.结果表明:秋茄的生长指标茎高、茎径、茎体积和生物量的生长量呈现先上升后下降的变化趋势,不过各处理的生长指标均高于对照组;研究表明,秋茄能在PCBs浓度为2 700×10-9的沉积物中正常生长,对PCBs有较强的耐受性和适应性.     

Ferron逐时络合比色法研究TEOS－PAC中AI的形态

以TEOS为原料,将其与AlCl_3溶液混合后再缓慢滴加Na0H溶液,合成出具有不同Si/Al比和B值的复合絮凝剂样品TEOS-PAC。用Ferron逐时络合比色法对其Al形态分布及转化特征进行了研究,并与以硅酸钠(Na_2SiO_3·9H_2O)为原料相同条件下制备的样品作了比较,初步得出了Si/Al比和β值对TEOS-PAC复合絮凝剂中Al形态的影响规律。     

Viability Analysis of Reef Fish Populations Based on Limited Demographic Information

Abstract:  Marine protected areas (MPAs) that allow some degree of artisanal fishing have been proposed to control the overexploitation of marine resources while allowing extraction by local communities. Nevertheless, the management of MPAs is often impaired by the absence of data on the status of their resources. We devised a method to estimate population growth rates with the type of data that are usually available for reef fishes. We used 7 years of spatially explicit abundance data on the leopard grouper ( Mycteroperca rosacea ) in an MPA in the Gulf of California, Mexico, to construct a matrix population model that incorporated the effects of El Niño/La Niña Southern Oscillation on population dynamics. An environmental model that estimated different demographic estimates for El Niño and La Niña periods performed better than a single-environment model, and a single-habitat model performed better than a model that considered different depths as different habitats. Our results suggest that the population of the leopard grouper off the main island of the MPA is not viable under present conditions. Although the impact of fishing on leopard grouper populations in the MPA has not yet been established, fishing should be closed as a precautionary measure at this island if a priority of the MPA is to ensure the sustainability of its fish populations.