A Comprehensive Approach to Identifying Monitoring Priorities of Small Landbirds on Military Installations

Military installations provide important native habitat for songbirds, including many species that have experienced population declines in recent decades. As part of the Land Condition Trend Analysis (LCTA) program to monitor animal populations on military lands, we surveyed small (<250 g) breeding landbirds on 60 permanent plots on the Fort Riley Military Installation in northeastern Kansas from 1991 to 2002. During this period, species richness averaged 39.0 species (SE 0.9)/year and mean species richness per plot ranged from 3.6 species (SE=0.2)/plot (1999) to 7.5 species (SE=0.3)/plot (1992). Turnover (the appearance and disappearance of species on all plots from one year to the next) ranged from 5 species (2000–2001) to 16 species (1992–1993) and was driven primarily by turnover of woodland species. We developed an index of relative difference (C) to evaluate relative trends of local populations and found that 25 species declined, 15 species increased, and 7 did not change. Based on migration assemblages, more resident species (6 of 10) and more short-distant migrants (9 of 12) decreased than long-distance migrants (10 vs. 11). Our analysis of major vegetation communities on plots showed few changes in the quantity of habitats (grassland vs. woodlands) during the study. Our results indicate that Fort Riley provides important habitats for many landbirds, particularly those that require grasslands for breeding. Several species exhibited local declines when compared to the regional Breeding Bird Survey routes. We offer an approach that evaluates population changes of small landbirds and provides objective inputs for conservation directives. These can be adopted easily for use on military installations (that use LCTA), parks, and wildlife refuges that have data from annual breeding bird surveys.     

内陆排污对杭州湾南岸滩涂湿地浮游桡足类群落结构的影响

2010年1月～2011年1月,在杭州湾南岸滩涂湿地5个断面(S1～S3为排水区,S4～S5为非排水区。)10个采样站进行桡足类群落结构的周年调查,分析了不同生态环境下桡足类群落的种类组成、密度、生物量和种类丰富度等时空变化特征。共发现桡足类19种,剑水蚤和猛水蚤各7种、哲水蚤5种,其中,8种为淡水种,11种为咸淡水种。根据种群的年平均密度和出现频度,淡水种类的优势种为汤匙华哲水蚤(Sinocalanus dorrii)、台湾温剑水蚤(Thermocyclops taihokuensis)和三角大吉猛水蚤(Tachidius triangularis),半咸淡水种类的优势种为中华哲水蚤(Calanus sinicus)和球状许水蚤(Schmackeria forbesi)。群落年平均密度变幅2.64～39.16/L,平均13.54/L;生物量0～2.078 mg/L,平均0.164 mg/L。哲水蚤的群落密度和生物量分别占总桡足类的29.32%和79.88%。密度季节变化以春季>秋季>夏季>冬季,水平变化以S3>S2>S1>S5>S4,S2断面中潮位比高潮位多67.00%。Margalef种类丰富度在1.20～6.20,平均3.35。污对中潮位桡足类群落的影响大于高潮位。     

Spatial predictions of phylogenetic diversity in conservation decision making

Considering genetic relatedness among species has long been argued as an important step toward measuring biological diversity more accurately, rather than relying solely on species richness. Some researchers have correlated measures of phylogenetic diversity and species richness across a series of sites and suggest that values of phylogenetic diversity do not differ enough from those of species richness to justify their inclusion in conservation planning. We compared predictions of species richness and 10 measures of phylogenetic diversity by creating distribution models for 168 individual species of a species-rich plant family, the Cape Proteaceae. When we used average amounts of land set aside for conservation to compare areas selected on the basis of species richness with areas selected on the basis of phylogenetic diversity, correlations between species richness and different measures of phylogenetic diversity varied considerably. Correlations between species richness and measures that were based on the length of phylogenetic tree branches and tree shape were weaker than those that were based on tree shape alone. Elevation explained up to 31% of the segregation of species rich versus phylogenetically rich areas. Given these results, the increased availability of molecular data, and the known ecological effect of phylogenetically rich communities, consideration of phylogenetic diversity in conservation decision making may be feasible and informative.     

Changes in distribution patterns of weed species richness in agricultural lands on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau under climate change北大核心CSCD

农田杂草是阻碍农业生产的主要因素之一.明确农田杂草丰富度分布格局对农业生产管理具有重要意义.以青藏高原农田杂草为研究对象,利用物种分布模型探讨基于县域尺度的农田杂草物种丰富度分布格局及其未来(2050s)的变化,利用逐步回归筛选影响物种丰富度的环境因子,基于传统最小二乘法(OLS)和地理加权回归模型(GWR)分析环境因子对农田杂草物种丰富度的影响,并对两种分析方法进行比较.结果显示:(1)分布在青藏高原的农田主要杂草有51科284种,其中59种单子叶杂草、222种双子叶杂草、135种一年生杂草和149种多年生杂草.青藏高原农田杂草物种丰富度呈由西向东递增的变化规律,物种丰富度中心(丰富度值为167-194)主要集中在一江两河、河湟谷地和川西北等地区;(2)全球气候变化背景下,未来(2050s)青藏高原农田杂草物种丰富度整体呈由东南向西北方向增加的趋势,其中SSP1-2.6情境下最多增加43种,SSP5-8.5情境下最多增加49种;(3)GWR模型优于OLS,其结果表明青藏高原农田杂草物种丰富度的主要驱动因子是最冷季平均温、太阳辐射和最干月降水量,上述变量对杂草丰富度的影响存在明显的空间差异性,其中最冷季平均温由南向北逐渐从负向影响转变为正向影响.太阳辐射整体在青藏高原东部边缘等地区对农田杂草丰富度起正向的影响,在藏东南、青藏高原北部边缘等地区起负向的影响.最干月降水量对整个研究区域起负向影响,并表现出影响力由南向北逐步递增的趋势.上述结果表明青藏高原农田杂草物种丰富度调查不足,实际观测到的丰富度值明显低于当前气候下潜在的丰富度值,存在低估现象.当前气候背景下的农田杂草物种丰富度中心分布地区在未来仍是重点监管对象,且未来青藏高原部分地区作物可能面临新的杂草入侵风险.建议未来研究应注重于青藏高原粮食主产区农田杂草群落结构和功能调查、杂草和作物种间关系、耕地尺度上丰富度驱动因子分析等方面,为区域杂草管理和防治提供充分科学依据.(图6表2参53)     

围栏禁牧对毛乌素沙地植物群落特征的影响

围栏禁牧是一种使退化草地获得自然恢复的低投入措施。通过对毛乌素沙地3种放牧管理类型（持续放牧、围栏禁牧5 a和围栏禁牧16 a）的物种组成、盖度、丰富度、多样性、相似性进行比较研究,目的是阐明退化毛乌素沙地植被在禁牧条件下自然恢复的可能性和其恢复演替的趋势。研究发现,围栏禁牧5 a左右群落物种组成就会有较大的恢复,但是物种多度增加程度却不大,即去除放牧干扰后群落物种丰富度的恢复要比物种多度的恢复更容易;禁牧后恢复的种类主要是一些不耐牧但适口性好的物种;围栏禁牧16 a后草本盖度大大增加而半灌木盖度却减少了,且出现了半干旱草原的重要典型种——本氏针茅Stipa bungeana Trin.,这标志着以油蒿Artemisia ordosica Krasch.为主的退化灌丛沙地开始向以禾本科草为主的半干旱沙质草原方向恢复;但要实现毛乌素沙地更大尺度上物种丰富度的恢复,围栏恢复的时间还需要更长。     

Wilderness forms and their implications for global environmental policy and conservation

With the intention of securing industry-free land and seascapes, protecting wilderness entered international policy as a formal target for the first time in the zero draft of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Given this increased prominence in international policy, it is timely to consider the extent to which the construct of wilderness supports global conservation objectives. We evaluated the construct by overlaying recently updated cumulative human pressure maps that offer a global-scale delineation of industry-free land as wilderness with maps of carbon stock, species richness, and ground travel time from urban centers. Wilderness areas took variable forms in relation to carbon stock, species richness, and proximity to urban centers, where 10% of wilderness areas represented high carbon and species richness, 20% low carbon and species richness, and 3% high levels of remoteness (>48 h), carbon, and species richness. Approximately 35% of all remaining wilderness in 2013 was accessible in <24 h of travel time from urban centers. Although the construct of wilderness can be used to secure benefits in specific contexts, its application in conservation must account for contextual and social implications. The diverse characterization of wilderness under a global environmental conservation lens shows that a nuanced framing and application of the construct is needed to improve understanding, communication, and retention of its variable forms as industry-free places.