Drivers of Seabird Population Recovery on New Zealand Islands after Predator Eradication

Eradication of introduced mammalian predators from islands has become increasingly common, with over 800 successful projects around the world. Historically, introduced predators extirpated or reduced the size of many seabird populations, changing the dynamics of entire island ecosystems. Although the primary outcome of many eradication projects is the restoration of affected seabird populations, natural population responses are rarely documented and mechanisms are poorly understood. We used a generic model of seabird colony growth to identify key predictor variables relevant to recovery or recolonization. We used generalized linear mixed models to test the importance of these variables in driving seabird population responses after predator eradication on islands around New Zealand. The most influential variable affecting recolonization of seabirds around New Zealand was the distance to a source population, with few cases of recolonization without a source population ≤25 km away. Colony growth was most affected by metapopulation status; there was little colony growth in species with a declining status. These characteristics may facilitate the prioritization of newly predator‐free islands for active management. Although we found some evidence documenting natural recovery, generally this topic was understudied. Our results suggest that in order to guide management strategies, more effort should be allocated to monitoring wildlife response after eradication. Conductores de la Recuperación de Poblaciones de Aves Marinas en Islas de Nueva Zelanda después de la Erradicación de Depredadores     

The data not collected on community forestry

Conservation and development practitioners increasingly promote community forestry as a way to conserve ecosystem services, consolidate resource rights, and reduce poverty. However, outcomes of community forestry have been mixed; many initiatives failed to achieve intended objectives. There is a rich literature on institutional arrangements of community forestry, but there has been little effort to examine the role of socioeconomic, market, and biophysical factors in shaping both land‐cover change dynamics and individual and collective livelihood outcomes. We systematically reviewed the peer‐reviewed literature on community forestry to examine and quantify existing knowledge gaps in the community‐forestry literature relative to these factors. In examining 697 cases of community forest management (CFM), extracted from 267 peer‐reviewed publications, we found 3 key trends that limit understanding of community forestry. First, we found substantial data gaps linking population dynamics, market forces, and biophysical characteristics to both environmental and livelihood outcomes. Second, most studies focused on environmental outcomes, and the majority of studies that assessed socioeconomic outcomes relied on qualitative data, making comparisons across cases difficult. Finally, there was a heavy bias toward studies on South Asian forests, indicating that the literature on community forestry may not be representative of decentralization policies and CFM globally.     

Geography and Recovery under the U.S. Endangered Species Act

Abstract: The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) defines an endangered species as one “at risk of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” The prevailing interpretation of this phrase, which focuses exclusively on the overall viability of listed species without regard to their geographic distribution, has led to development of listing and recovery criteria with fundamental conceptual, legal, and practical shortcomings. The ESA's concept of endangerment is broader than the biological concept of extinction risk in that the “esthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational, and scientific” values provided by species are not necessarily furthered by a species mere existence, but rather by a species presence across much of its former range. The concept of “significant portion of range” thus implies an additional geographic component to recovery that may enhance viability, but also offers independent benefits that Congress intended the act to achieve. Although the ESA differs from other major endangered‐species protection laws because it acknowledges the distinct contribution of geography to recovery, it resembles the “representation, resiliency, and redundancy” conservation‐planning framework commonly referenced in recovery plans. To address representation, listing and recovery standards should consider not only what proportion of its former range a species inhabits, but the types of habitats a species occupies and the ecological role it plays there. Recovery planning for formerly widely distributed species (e.g., the gray wolf [Canis lupus]) exemplifies how the geographic component implicit in the ESA's definition of endangerment should be considered in determining recovery goals through identification of ecologically significant types or niche variation within the extent of listed species, subspecies, or “distinct population segments.” By linking listing and recovery standards to niche and ecosystem concepts, the concept of ecologically significant type offers a scientific framework that promotes more coherent dialogue concerning the societal decisions surrounding recovery of endangered species.     

长江口海域底栖生态环境质量评价——AMBI和M-AMBI法

AMBI(AZTI’s Marine Biotic Index)和M-AMBI(Multivariate-AMBI)指数可以有效地评价河口和近岸海域软底质海洋大型底栖动物群落对人为和自然扰动的响应.本研究根据2009年4月在长江口采集的大型底栖动物资料,首次在长江口海域同时运用栖息密度和生物量计算AMBI(BAMBI)和M-AMBI(M-BAMBI),对其进行底栖生态质量评价.结果表明,长江口底栖生态环境皆受到不同程度的干扰,其中受干扰最严重的区域集中在杭州湾、舟山及长江口门区附近海域,与该海域的陆源排污、富营养化以及大量的海岸工程建设等有密切的关系.单因素方差分析表明,运用栖息密度和生物量计算出的两个指数值,评价结果无明显的差异.与AMBI相比,M-AMBI与本研究生物群落结构参数以及环境因子的匹配度更高,能够更有效地评价长江口底栖生态环境质量.Pearson相关分析和一元线性回归分析表明,M-AMBI与底层水体的富营养化指数之间存在线性显著负相关关系,而与表层水体的呈非线性显著负相关;AMBI与富营养化指数之间却无显著相关关系,说明M-AMBI更适合指示长江口水域的富营养化压力.     

×飞机半封闭部位局部环境谱当量加速关系研究

目的确定局部环境谱当量加速关系。方法以×型飞机某半封闭关键部位为研究对象,依据其在机体中所处的位置及服役环境中各气候条件编制局部加速腐蚀试验环境谱,分别进行试验室周期浸润加速腐蚀和自然环境暴晒。借助涂层宏观、微观形貌检测、色差、光泽度等常规性能检测和电化学极化曲线测试,对两种不同环境下试验件进行性能测试。结果试验室周期浸润加速腐蚀196.6 h,相当于舰面停放1年,且经过实验室2个周期加速腐蚀与自然环境暴晒2年的试验件涂层形貌、失光率、色差、电化学性能一致。结论该局部环境谱当量加速关系准确可靠。     

川东北低山丘陵区细颗粒物主要相关因素和季节变化分析——以南充主城区为例

基于中国空气质量在线监测分析平台和全球天气精准预报网的大气质量和气象数据,以四川盆地东北低山丘陵区典型城市南充市主城区为例,检验了细颗粒物(PM_(2.5))浓度的概率密度分布,发现其接近对数正态分布,由相关分析确定了PM_(2.5)浓度的主要相关因素为CO、NO_2(相关系数r分别为0.76、0.55,P0.01),再通过对2014年1月—2016年6月的日数据的逐步回归筛选出最优的回归指标和模拟方程(决定系数R_(adj)~2为0.68,P0.05),2016年7月—2017年6月的数据验证表明模拟效果较好(拟合优度为0.64,相对误差15.48%);最后根据时序插值、浓度和IAQI(PM_(2.5))的时段均值发现PM_(2.5)浓度在年际上有降低趋势;在季节上由高到低依次为冬季、春季、秋季、夏季;PM_(2.5)浓度在1月和6月分别呈现出年内的峰值和谷值,5、10月出现了阶段性峰值,尤其是5月;IAQI(PM_(2.5))的季节变化与浓度变化规律相似;且PM_(2.5)与PM_(10)比值的均值为0.67,表明现阶段南充市主城区大气污染物中细颗粒物占有较大比重。     

Investigation on the changes effected by tool profile on mechanical and tribological properties of friction stir processed AZ31B magnesium alloy

The present study investigates the effect of tool shoulder profile on the mechanical and tribological properties of friction stir processed AZ31B magnesium alloy. The tool rotational speed and feed rate are the chosen process parameters. The experiments were conducted with 3 level 2 factors full factorial design. The recorded responses were tensile strength, wear losses and corrosion rate. The results were analyzed with the help microstructures of the processed samples. The study reveals that, for concave shoulder tool, the strain hardening effect was playing a major role in determining the properties of the processed materials and for the step shoulder tool, the grain size plays a major role in determining the properties of the processed materials.     

贵州石漠化空间分布与喀斯特地貌、岩性、降水和人口密度的关系

本次研究从地貌发育的角度揭示了贵州省石漠化景观及其等级的空间分布与下垫面的物质组成和气候(降雨量)的空间变化存在着密切的联系,而与现今人类活动强度(人口密度)的空间分布不存在关联性。具体体现为:(1)贵州溶蚀为主地貌类型区和纯碳酸盐岩分布区基本一致,区内的峰丛(林)地貌主要分布于年降水量≥1200mm的威宁-毕节-贵阳-凯里一线以南的溶蚀为主地貌类型区,随着降水量由北向南逐渐增加,塔状峰丘增多;溶丘,峰丛(林)不发育地貌主要分布于年降水量≤1100mm的威宁-毕节以北的黔西北溶蚀为主地貌类型区和毕节-贵阳-凯里一线以北的溶蚀侵蚀地貌类型区,(2)贵州石漠化程度与喀斯特地貌类型空间分布的耦合关系较好,与人口密度空间分布的耦合关系不好。峰丛(林)地貌发育的威宁-毕节-贵阳-凯里一线以南的溶蚀为主地貌区,黔中地区人口密度为300～400/km2,该区一些县的石漠化,远不如黔西南地区人口密度为200～300/km2或黔南地区人口密度为100～200/km2的严重。历史时期森林植被的全面破坏是贵州喀斯特地区石漠化的主要驱动力,除荔波茂兰喀斯特森林保护区等少数地区,贵州喀斯特地区的原始森林无论是现在人口密度高的地区,还是低的地区,历史时期均已遭受全面的破坏。喀斯特坡地次生植被的恢复状况在很大程度上取决于坡地的岩土组成,现代石漠化严重程度的区域差异,主要受下垫面地面物质组成的控制,也就是"石山"的多寡。     

石化企业玻璃钢设施静电特性及安全使用

通过测试玻璃钢设施的静电参数,研究分析玻璃钢设施的静电特性,表明玻璃钢设施有较大的静电危险性,提出了一般防静电措施,预防玻璃钢设施的燃爆风险。     

机械式模拟运输台仿真研究

模拟运输振动试验台作为一种机械式随机振动模拟器,能够较好地再现汽车运输振动环境。针对模拟运输台在调试、使用时具有一定盲目性的问题,进行了运动学仿真。仿真结果与实测数据吻合良好,验证了模型建立的正确性,调整模拟运输台上可变参数进行一系列的仿真,总结这些参数对于最终结果影响的规律。仿真结果表明,模拟运输台的台面振动由系统自激振动和凸轮带动台面强迫振动复合而成;台面上功率谱密度的第一主峰主要和系统的自激振动有关,第二主峰主要和凸轮带动台面的强迫振动有关。