The Combined Effects of Remnant Vegetation and Tree Planting on Farmland Birds

Abstract:  Biodiversity conservation on agricultural land is a major issue worldwide. We estimated separate and joint effects of remnant native woodland vegetation and recent tree plantings on birds on farms (approximately 500–1000 ha) in the heavily cleared wheat and sheep belt of southern Australia. Much of the variation (>70%) in bird responses was explained by 3 factors: remnant native-vegetation attributes (native grassland, scattered paddock trees, patches of remnant native woodland); presence or absence of planted native trees; and the size and shape of tree plantings. In terms of the number of species, remnant native vegetation was more important than tree planting, in a 3:1 ratio, approximately. Farms with high values for remnant native vegetation were those most likely to support declining or vulnerable species, although some individual species of conservation concern occurred on farms with large plantings. Farm management for improved bird conservation should account for the cumulative and complementary contributions of many components of remnant native-vegetation cover (e.g., scattered paddock trees and fallen timber) as well as areas of restored native vegetation.     

Engineering-geological hazards and management in the Mountain Crimea coastal zone

The main engineering-geological hazards and their factors of the Mountain Crimea coastal region are considered. A characteristic shore line site of Cape Kikineiz and its neighboring coastal area near the Katsiveli settlement has been studied in more detail. The important characteristic of the site is a high diversity of geological conditions with numerous manifestations of dangerous engineering-geological processes: shore and hydrological network abrasion, loss of slopes and rocks stability, etc. These processes have intensified during the last decades under the influence of natural and man-induced factors. The results of preliminary study of geo-environmental situation of the area are presented. The program for further research and possible recommendations for rational coastal hazard management and area ecological state improvement are outlined.     

Study on convection and dispersion characteristics of dense gases in urban environment considering trees

Although several studies on the dispersion of heavy toxic gas released from ruptured tanks on vehicles during transportation have considered complex terrain such as urban buildings, the influence of trees on the flow field in urban areas during gas dispersion tends to be ignored. In this study, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model was proposed to investigate the characteristics of gas release and dispersion from loaded vehicle in the urban environment. In this model, the tree crown was treated as a porous medium, and the influence of drag due to the crown was incorporated into the model by a momentum source term through a user-defined function. In this study, the dynamic characteristics of chlorine (Cl₂) dispersion under the conditions of building distribution, tree species and porosities were comprehensively analysed, to cover the influence of urban complexity, leaf density, and tree planting configuration. The results show that compared with flat terrain, the presence of urban buildings will prolong the dense gas retention time and increase the dangerous distance. It is found that the horizontal dispersion distance can increase by 63% and the isosurface of 25 ppm hazardous gas can increase by 130% with the introduction of buildings. Compared with the terrain with only buildings, the introduction of arbors or shrubs can result in a 147% or 359% increase in the maximum concentration. Also, trees will prolong the dispersion duration. It is also found that the higher the porosity, the less the wind blocking effect, and the weaker the ability of capturing gas. The wind field affected by arbores and shrubs are different in height, and arbores capture more Cl₂. Planting short shrubs around buildings can effectively reduce the spread of harmful gases.     

Influence of Restoration Age and Riparian Vegetation on Reach‐Scale Nutrient Retention in Restored Urban Streams

In urban watersheds, stormwater inputs largely bypass the buffering capacity of riparian zones through direct inputs of drainage pipes and lowered groundwater tables. However, vegetation near the stream can still influence instream nutrient transformations via maintenance of streambank stability, input of woody debris, modulation of organic matter sources, and temperature regulation. Stream restoration seeks to mimic many of these functions by engineering channel complexity, grading stream banks to reconnect incised channels, and replanting lost riparian vegetation. The goal of this study was to quantify these effects by measuring nitrate and phosphate uptake in five restored streams in Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, with a range of restoration ages. Using nutrient spiraling methods, uptake velocity of nitrate (0.02‐3.56 mm/min) and phosphate (0.14‐19.1 mm/min) was similar to other urban restored streams and higher than unimpacted forested streams with variability influenced by restoration age and geomorphology. Using a multiple linear regression approach, reach‐scale phosphate uptake was greater in newly restored sites, which was attributed to assimilation by algal biofilms, whereas nitrate uptake was highest in older sites potentially due to greater channel stability and establishment of microbial communities. The patterns we observed highlight the influence of riparian vegetation on energy inputs (e.g., heat, organic matter) and thereby on nutrient retention.     

A meta‐analysis of functional group responses to forest recovery outside of the tropics

Both active and passive forest restoration schemes are used in degraded landscapes across the world to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem service provision. Restoration is increasingly also being implemented in biodiversity offset schemes as compensation for loss of natural habitat to anthropogenic development. This has raised concerns about the value of replacing old‐growth forest with plantations, motivating research on biodiversity recovery as forest stands age. Functional diversity is now advocated as a key metric for restoration success, yet it has received little analytical attention to date. We conducted a meta‐analysis of 90 studies that measured differences in species richness for functional groups of fungi, lichens, and beetles between old‐growth control and planted or secondary treatment forests in temperate, boreal, and Mediterranean regions. We identified functional‐group–specific relationships in the response of species richness to stand age after forest disturbance. Ectomycorrhizal fungi averaged 90 years for recovery to old‐growth values (between 45 years and unrecoverable at 95% prediction limits), and epiphytic lichens took 180 years to reach 90% of old‐growth values (between 140 years and never for recovery to old‐growth values at 95% prediction limits). Non‐saproxylic beetle richness, in contrast, decreased as stand age of broadleaved forests increased. The slow recovery by some functional groups essential to ecosystem functioning makes old‐growth forest an effectively irreplaceable biodiversity resource that should be exempt from biodiversity offsetting initiatives.     

Effects of surrounding land use and water depth on seagrass dynamics relative to a catastrophic algal bloom

Seagrasses are the foundation of many coastal ecosystems and are in global decline because of anthropogenic impacts. For the Indian River Lagoon (Florida, U.S.A.), we developed competing multistate statistical models to quantify how environmental factors (surrounding land use, water depth, and time [year]) influenced the variability of seagrass state dynamics from 2003 to 2014 while accounting for time‐specific detection probabilities that quantified our ability to determine seagrass state at particular locations and times. We classified seagrass states (presence or absence) at 764 points with geographic information system maps for years when seagrass maps were available and with aerial photographs when seagrass maps were not available. We used 4 categories (all conservation, mostly conservation, mostly urban, urban) to describe surrounding land use within sections of lagoonal waters, usually demarcated by land features that constricted these waters. The best models predicted that surrounding land use, depth, and year would affect transition and detection probabilities. Sections of the lagoon bordered by urban areas had the least stable seagrass beds and lowest detection probabilities, especially after a catastrophic seagrass die‐off linked to an algal bloom. Sections of the lagoon bordered by conservation lands had the most stable seagrass beds, which supports watershed conservation efforts. Our results show that a multistate approach can empirically estimate state‐transition probabilities as functions of environmental factors while accounting for state‐dependent differences in seagrass detection probabilities as part of the overall statistical inference procedure.     

Dynamics of a low‐density tiger population in Southeast Asia in the context of improved law enforcement

Recovering small populations of threatened species is an important global conservation strategy. Monitoring the anticipated recovery, however, often relies on uncertain abundance indices rather than on rigorous demographic estimates. To counter the severe threat from poaching of wild tigers (Panthera tigris), the Government of Thailand established an intensive patrolling system in 2005 to protect and recover its largest source population in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary. Concurrently, we assessed the dynamics of this tiger population over the next 8 years with rigorous photographic capture‐recapture methods. From 2006 to 2012, we sampled across 624–1026 km² with 137–200 camera traps. Cameras deployed for 21,359 trap days yielded photographic records of 90 distinct individuals. We used closed model Bayesian spatial capture‐recapture methods to estimate tiger abundances annually. Abundance estimates were integrated with likelihood‐based open model analyses to estimate rates of annual and overall rates of survival, recruitment, and changes in abundance. Estimates of demographic parameters fluctuated widely: annual density ranged from 1.25 to 2.01 tigers/100 km², abundance from 35 to 58 tigers, survival from 79.6% to 95.5%, and annual recruitment from 0 to 25 tigers. The number of distinct individuals photographed demonstrates the value of photographic capture–recapture methods for assessments of population dynamics in rare and elusive species that are identifiable from natural markings. Possibly because of poaching pressure, overall tiger densities at Huai Kha Khaeng were 82–90% lower than in ecologically comparable sites in India. However, intensified patrolling after 2006 appeared to reduce poaching and was correlated with marginal improvement in tiger survival and recruitment. Our results suggest that population recovery of low‐density tiger populations may be slower than anticipated by current global strategies aimed at doubling the number of wild tigers in a decade.     

大型浅水湖泊太湖霍甫水丝蚓次级生产力的研究

作为湖泊底栖动物优势种类的霍甫水丝蚓在长江中下游湖泊分布广泛,在湖泊生态系统的能流和物流中占有十分重要的地位。为了了解霍甫水丝蚓在大型浅水湖泊中的种群动态规律、生活史和周年生产量等的状况,于2005年1~12月对太湖霍甫水丝蚓进行周年的研究,以期为了解太湖这一优势种类的生产力状况及合理利用这一资源提供理论依据。研究发现,2005年太湖霍甫水丝蚓年均密度和生物量分别为3 274ind./m~2(0~13 800ind./m~2)和4.70g/m2(0~29.15g/m~2),一般均在冬季达到高峰,空间分布上霍甫水丝蚓密度和生物量呈现出明显的差异性,在太湖北部梅梁湾和竺山湾及西部河口湖区分布较高,而在其它区域的现存量均较低。根据体长频数分布的周年变化特征,推测太湖霍甫水丝蚓约为一年三代,繁殖可能发生在3、7和11月份期间。2005年太湖霍甫水丝蚓年生产量为480.21g·m~(-2)·yr-1,P/B为14.17,与同类研究报道相比属于较高水平。分析表明太湖霍甫水丝蚓的高世代数导致其高P/B系数,而高周年生产量与其所处的营养水平相对较高有关,这对于太湖渔产潜力具有显著意义。     

总量控制约束下区域用水结构调控策略及动态模拟

在既定水资源供给下,通过调控区域用水结构,提高用水效率与效益,使经济社会发展与用水总量限制的水资源约束相适应,是目前区域经济社会发展面临与亟待解答的关键科学问题。选择若干指标定量描述用水系统与社会经济系统耦合关系的基础上,以国民经济部门划分和用水主体划分相结合的方式,细化第一、二、三产业、生活和生态用水指标,建立了江苏省用水结构与产业结构、用水需求与经济社会发展指标互动反馈的模拟调控的系统动力学模型。在对当前发展模式下的江苏省用水总量发展趋势模拟预测分析基础上,选择对系统影响显著的参数作为调控变量,设计了5种对比情景,动态模拟水资源供求变化和用水结构变化情况,提出了江苏省用水总量控制下用水结构调控方案和对策,为区域落实最严格水资源管理制度提供决策依据。     

上海浦东东滩鸟类栖息地生态修复区的水鸟群落变化

河口和海岸带自然湿地的大量退化与丧失导致了迁徙路线上水鸟栖息地的大量减少,从而加剧了迁徙水鸟种群数量的下降,一般认为,栖息地修复能够缓解上述过程。于2010年、2012年对位于上海浦东东滩的鸟类栖息地生态修复区和自然退化区（对照样地）进行调查,比较两个区域的水鸟群落结构差异与年际变化,研究生态修复区的水鸟群落变化并评价其在水鸟保育方面的作用。结果表明：生态修复区的水鸟种类、数量和物种多样性均极显著高于自然退化区,而均匀度与自然退化区无显著差异;生态修复区2012年水鸟种类显著低于2010年,而水鸟数量、物种多样性和均匀度均无显著差异;自然退化区2012年水鸟种类、数量和物种多样性均极显著低于2010年,而均匀度无显著差异。生态修复区通过营造浅滩、浅水区、深水区等多样化生境,为迁徙水鸟提供了重要的补充栖息地,对水鸟保育工作起到了积极作用