黄土高原土壤景观格局特征分析

在地理信息系统支持下,选择多种景观格局指数,从斑块面积、斑块数、斑块周长和多样性的角度对黄土高原地区土壤景观进行了格局特征分析。结果表明,黄土高原地区土壤景观斑块数、面积和周长分布均极不均衡,土壤景观多样性指数较低,反映出黄土高原地区土壤景观破碎化程度较高。     

Monitoring Australian Rangeland Sites Using Landscape Function Indicators and Ground- and Remote-Based Techniques

If the goal for managing rangelands is to achieve a balance between production and conservation, then monitoring is essential to detect change and apply corrective action. In some range-land areas of northern Australia, monitoring has detected a tilt in the production-conservation balance towards excessive production. How big is this imbalance? Can it shift back? Robust monitoring is needed to answer these questions. The aim is to know what to monitor, and where. For example, to detect changes caused by livestock on rangeland forage production and soil erosion, indicators linking grazing disturbances to landscape function are needed, that is, indicators that signal how well landscapes are capturing, concentrating, and utilizing scarce water, nutrient, and organic resources. Studies in Australia and the USA document that simple vegetation and soil patch attributes can be measured as indicators of the 'state of health' of landscape function. For example, field and remote sensing-based grazing studies in Australia document that landscapes with a high cover of perennial plant patches function effectively to capture runoff water and nutrients in sediments, whereas landscapes with a low cover of these patches do not — they are dysfunctional — as indicated by large patches of bare soil. Aerial videography is proving to be a robust technique for measuring indicators of landscape function such as small patches of vegetation and the extent of bare soil. These indicators typically have a sigmoidal response to grazing impacts. We illustrate that if these indicators are measured on monitoring sites established near the sigmoidal 'point of inflection’ then small changes in these indicators can be detected.     

景观生态学方法在生态环境影响评价中的应用研究

采用《环境影响评价技术导则非污染生态影响》(HJ/T 19-1997)推荐的景观生态学评价方法,应用景观生态学的基本原理,通过对景观多样性指数、景观优势度和人工干扰指数等3类景观格局指数的计算及对比,从景观空间结构、异质性、恢复能力等方面,预测建设项目实施对生态环境的影响程度,并提出工程项目建设应注意的问题和采取的措施.     

黄土高原的景观格局变化与水土流失研究——以黄土高原马莲河流域为例

应用RS/GIS技术和景观生态学研究方法,利用通用土壤流失方程(USLE)分析了黄土高原马莲河流域2000年和2007年的景观格局变化与水土流失。结果表明:马莲河流域的景观格局和水土流失方面近8 a发生了重要变化:①建设用地、水域、中高盖度草地以及林地面积增加,低盖度草地、耕地等面积减少,其中超过50%的低盖度草地补充为中高盖度草地;②斑块数量、斑块密度以及多样性指数在减小,说明斑块破碎化程度减小,生态系统趋于稳定化,生态功能逐渐增强;③土壤侵蚀总量减小12 506.76 t,水土流失明显减弱,其变化原因与当地植被恢复、人类活动、人口城镇化、建设用地增加等因素密切相关,尤其是世行项目和国家退耕还林还草政策的有效实施。     

城市绿地系统景观生态规划探讨

从景观生态的角度对城市绿地系统进行规划探讨,能够为绿地系统规划布局提供科学的理论指导。在介绍了对绿地系统规划有重要指导意义的景观生态理论的基础上,以常州市新北区为例,进行实证研究,概括了其绿地现状并指出了其存在一系列问题,进而利用景观生态的基本原理,对本区域的绿地系统进行规划研究。将整个研究地区分成“区域层面、分区层面以及具体规划设计层面”3个尺度层面,并且在每个层面利用景观生态中相关原理分别进行研究,最终形成层次分明、在功能上相互补充、有机联系的绿地系统结构。     

基于LEI和MSPA的南昌市城市扩张类型与生态景观类型变化关联分析

中国正处于城市化快速发展阶段,城市扩张导致大量生态景观日益破碎,分析城市扩张类型与生态景观类型的变化及其关联机制能为改善生态环境提供指导。以南昌市为研究区,采用景观扩张指数（LEI）和形态学空间格局分析法（MSPA）识别南昌市的城市扩张类型和生态用地景观类型,并通过建立缓冲区带分析城市扩张类型与生态景观类型变化的关联特征。结果表明：（1）南昌市城市扩张主要以边缘型扩张为主,生态用地以“核心”形态为主;（2）不同圈层的城市扩张类型和生态景观类型的关系在不同发展阶段差异显著;（3）在城市扩张过程中,总体上生态景观越加破碎,边缘型扩张会加速大型绿色斑块的减小,飞地型扩张促进绿色景观单元的破碎化,填充型扩张则有弱化这一过程的作用。研究结果可为控制城市无序扩张提供可靠的理论参考,并为研究区的城市有序扩张和生态环境保护提供决策依据。     

利用水资源环境创建城市生态湿地景观的研究

针对利用水资源环境创建城市生态湿地景观的研究,介绍了南京湿地目前存在的问题,主要包括有湿地水质需要改善、湿地生物多样性受到威胁和湿地科研有待加强,探讨了新济洲国家湿地公园的建设,包括新济洲国家湿地公园定位体现地域特色、新济洲湿地建设思路,介绍了新济洲水资源协调利用,主要包括,建立水资源可持续利用机制、合理控制湿地污水排放、开展湿地治理,提升湿地水质,提出了新济洲国家湿地公园建设内容,并进行了对新济洲国家湿地公园建设效益分析.     

Quantifying the impact of vegetation-based metrics on species persistence when choosing offsets for habitat destruction

Developers are often required by law to offset environmental impacts through targeted conservation actions. Most offset policies specify metrics for calculating offset requirements, usually by assessing vegetation condition. Despite widespread use, there is little evidence to support the effectiveness of vegetation-based metrics for ensuring biodiversity persistence. We compared long-term impacts of biodiversity offsetting based on area only; vegetation condition only; area × habitat suitability; and condition × habitat suitability in development and restoration simulations for the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. We simulated development and subsequent offsetting through restoration within a virtual landscape, linking simulations to population viability models for 3 species. Habitat gains did not ensure species persistence. No net loss was achieved when performance of offsetting was assessed in terms of amount of habitat restored, but not when outcomes were assessed in terms of persistence. Maintenance of persistence occurred more often when impacts were avoided, giving further support to better enforce the avoidance stage of the mitigation hierarchy. When development affected areas of high habitat quality for species, persistence could not be guaranteed. Therefore, species must be more explicitly accounted for in offsets, rather than just vegetation or habitat alone. Declines due to a failure to account directly for species population dynamics and connectivity overshadowed the benefits delivered by producing large areas of high-quality habitat. Our modeling framework showed that the benefits delivered by offsets are species specific and that simple vegetation-based metrics can give misguided impressions on how well biodiversity offsets achieve no net loss.     

Conservation Easements: Biodiversity Protection and Private Use

Abstract:  Conservation easements are one of the primary tools for conserving biodiversity on private land. Despite their increasing use, little quantitative data are available on what species and habitats conservation easements aim to protect, how much structural development they allow, or what types of land use they commonly permit. To address these knowledge gaps, we surveyed staff responsible for 119 conservation easements established by the largest nonprofit easement holder, The Nature Conservancy, between 1985 and 2004. Most easements (80%) aimed to provide core habitat to protect species or communities on-site, and nearly all were designed to reduce development. Conservation easements also allowed for a wide range of private uses, which may result in additional fragmentation and habitat disturbance. Some residential or commercial use, new structures, or subdivision of the property were permitted on 85% of sampled conservation easements. Over half (56%) allowed some additional buildings, of which 60% restricted structure size or building area. Working landscape easements with ranching, forestry, or farming made up nearly half (46%) of the easement properties sampled and were more likely than easements without these uses to be designated as buffers to enhance biodiversity in the surrounding area. Our results demonstrate the need for clear restrictions on building and subdivision in easements, research on the compatibility of private uses on easement land, and greater public understanding of the trade-offs implicit in the use of conservation easements for biodiversity conservation.     

Intraspecific Chromosome Number Variation: a Neglected Threat to the Conservation of Rare Plants

Abstract: The effectiveness of rare plant conservation will increase when life history, demographic, and genetic data are considered simultaneously. Inbreeding depression is a widely recognized genetic concern in rare plant conservation, and the mixing of genetically diverse populations in restoration efforts is a common remedy. Nevertheless, if populations with unrecognized intraspecific chromosome variation are crossed, progeny fitness losses will range from partial to complete sterility, and reintroductions and population augmentation of rare plants may fail. To assess the current state of cytological knowledge of threatened and endangered plants in the continental United States, we searched available resources for chromosome counts. We also reviewed recovery plans to discern whether recovery criteria potentially place listed species at risk by requiring reintroductions or population augmentation in the absence of cytological information. Over half the plants lacked a chromosome count, and when a taxon did have a count it generally originated from a sampling intensity too limited to detect intraspecific chromosome variation. Despite limited past cytological sampling, we found 11 plants with documented intraspecific cytological variation, while 8 others were ambiguous for intraspecific chromosome variation. Nevertheless, only one recovery plan addressed the chromosome differences. Inadequate within‐species cytological characterization, incomplete sampling among listed taxa, and the prevalence of interspecific and intraspecific chromosome variation in listed genera, suggests that other rare plants are likely to have intraspecific chromosome variation. Nearly 90% of all recovery plans called for reintroductions or population augmentation as part of recovery criteria despite the dearth of cytological knowledge. We recommend screening rare plants for intraspecific chromosome variation before reintroductions or population augmentation projects are undertaken to safeguard against inadvertent mixtures of incompatible cytotypes.