Assemblage patterns of fish functional groups relative to habitat connectivity and conditions in floodplain lakes

Miyazono S, Aycock JN, Miranda LE, Tietjen TE. Assemblage patterns of fish functional groups relative to habitat connectivity and conditions in floodplain lakes.
Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2010: 19: 578–585. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Abstract – We evaluated the influences of habitat connectivity and local environmental factors on the distribution and abundance patterns of fish functional groups in 17 floodplain lakes in the Yazoo River Basin, USA. The results of univariate and multivariate analyses showed that species–environmental relationships varied with the functional groups. Species richness and assemblage structure of periodic strategists showed strong and positive correlations with habitat connectivity. Densities of most equilibrium and opportunistic strategists decreased with habitat connectivity. Densities of certain equilibrium and opportunistic strategists increased with turbidity. Forested wetlands around the lakes were positively related to the densities of periodic and equilibrium strategists. These results suggest that decreases in habitat connectivity, forested wetland buffers and water quality resulting from environmental manipulations may cause local extinction of certain fish taxa and accelerate the dominance of tolerant fishes in floodplain lakes.     

Environmental assessment of boreal rivers using fish data – a contribution to the Water Framework Directive

Abstract A fish‐based assessment method was developed to estimate the ecological status of boreal rivers. Electric fishing data were collected from 902 rapids, together with information on the land use, channel modification and water chemistry. Discriminant function analysis was used to select fish variables that most correctly classified the undisturbed reference sites and human impacted sites into exact classes. The relationship between the level of human alteration and fish metrics was examined. Five metrics were selected for the index: the number of fish species, proportion of sensitive species, proportion of tolerant species, density of cyprinid individuals and the density of age‐0+ salmonids. The value for each metric (between 0 and 1) was calculated according to a point estimate for classical probability. The index is used to estimate the ecological classification of rivers according to the EU Water Framework Directive.     

溧阳市生物多样性评价

为溧阳市生物多样性的保护与利用提供依据,以溧阳市生物物种资源普查成果报告和溧阳天目湖森林公园植物资源调查报告为本底数据,采用综合指标体系评价方法对溧阳市生物多样性进行评价。结果表明:溧阳市生物多样性的综合评分为75分,其中物种多样性评分为35分,生态系统多样性评分为40分。溧阳市生物多样性评价结果等级为一般。     

论山区生态环境保护与山羊养殖对策

因为缺乏统一而科学的长远规划,山羊养殖业在山区发展面临了许多新的问题,笔者尝试对此进行简单的讨论.     

Floristic diversity and vegetation patterns along disturbance gradient in arid coasts in southern Mediterranean: Case of the Gulf of Gabès,southern Tunisia

Knowledge about vegetation patterns along disturbance gradients is essential for conservation and management of coastal habitats in arid regions. This study focuses on the floristic diversity and the factors controlling the vegetation structure in the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia). For this purpose, the floristic diversity of 120 relevés belonging to three coastal sites with different disturbance levels (40 relevés per site) was analyzed in relation with 10 environmental and anthropogenic factors. Therophytes constitute 54% of the 237 plants species belonging to 44 families identified in the present study. The species richness and floristic diversity indices exhibited a similar trend and peaked in the slightly disturbed site (H′?=?3.38; S?=?176). The similarity between sites was relatively low and reached its maximum between the little and the highly disturbed sites. Two-way indicator species analysis and detrended correspondence analysis applied on the floristic data resulted in groups mainly determined by disturbance level by explicitly segregating the three sites. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that the spatial pattern of species composition was mainly influenced by anthropogenic variables. Partial CCA revealed that the effect of anthropogenic variables on floristic composition was thrice higher than the effect of environmental variables (57.5% vs. 18.4%, respectively). Overall, this study provides a broad understanding of the floristic diversity and vascular plant richness in the Gulf of Gabès. The obtained results reflected a disturbance–diversity pattern and thus revealed the obvious importance of maintaining the intermediate disturbance for biodiversity conservation and monitoring.     

Effects of biodegradable mulch on soil quality

Biodegradable plastic films are desirable alternatives to traditional black polyethylene plastic for use as mulches in agroecosystems. Efforts are ongoing to engineer biodegradable plastic mulches that could be incorporated into the soil at the end of the crop season, and decomposed by microorganisms, ultimately to CO₂, H₂O, and biomass. Whether changes in soil quality occur during or following biodegradation is unknown. An 18-month study evaluated the effects on soil quality following burial of four potentially biodegradable mulches and a no mulch control in high tunnel and open field tomato production systems across three geographically distinct locations (Knoxville, TN; Lubbock, TX; Mount Vernon, WA). The mulch treatments included: two starch-based mulches (BioAgri^® Ag-Film and BioTelo Agri); one experimental 100% polylactic acid mulch (Spunbond-PLA-10); one cellulose-based mulch (WeedGuardPlus; positive control); and a negative control (no mulch). The soil management assessment framework (SMAF) was used to calculate a soil quality index (SQI) according to five dynamic soil properties: microbial biomass carbon, β-glucosidase, electrical conductivity, total organic carbon (TOC), and pH. Within the 18-month evaluation period, the effects of the biodegradable mulches on the SQI were minor, and dependent upon production system and time of incubation at all locations. In general, the SQI was higher in the high tunnel systems for some of the mulch treatments at Knoxville and Lubbock but the opposite was true at Mount Vernon. By the final sampling at 18 months, the SQI was lowest for WeedGuardPlus at Lubbock and Mount Vernon but at Knoxville, the WeedGuardPlus SQI was not significantly different from the no mulch control. Of the five SMAF indicators evaluated, soil microbial biomass and β-glucosidase activity were the most responsive to mulch and production systems, supporting the use of these variables as soil quality indicators for short-term changes due to this agricultural management practice.     

环境因素对芸苔链格孢生长发育的影响

研究结果表明,芸苔链格孢(Alternaria brassicae)在0—35℃下均可萌发,最适温度15—20℃。菌丝在0—30℃下均能生长,最适温度20—25℃;孢子及菌丝的致死温度为50℃,10分钟。该菌对湿度要求较严格,相对湿度在90％以上时孢子才能萌发,最适相对湿度为98％;病菌在相对湿度达93％时可以侵染,98％以上最适。脱落后孢子曝露在室内(相对湿度约63％)经1小时萌发率下降32.4％,4小时下降80％。耐旱能力较差。一般情况下紫外光能促进该菌产孢,但是对某些菌系的促进作用不明显。过长的紫外光照射对该菌产孢不利,照射160分钟孢子萌发率下降近80％。麦芽糖、蔗糖为该菌的最佳碳源;硝态氮、有机氮是该菌的良好氮源。pH值为4—6时有利于分生孢子萌发,强酸、强碱对分生孢子萌发有抑制作用。     

A hundred and more years of plant protection in the Netherlands

At the occasion of the Centenary of the Netherlands Society of Plant Pathology a reflection on past, present and future of plant protection, the subject matter of the Society, was thought to be appropriate.Developments in plant protection are projected against a general stream of thought. Three turning points are distinguished which can be seen as paradigm changes. The first occurred around 1890, when the concept of pathogenitism gained its final victory over autogenitism. The second occurred around 1940, when the public outlook on human and plant health changed drastically due to the advent of chemotherapeutants. The third occurred around 1990 when a clear change in public thinking on agriculture, environment and plant protection became apparent. The background of these changes is sketched in a personal manner.Some ideas on plant protection beyond the year 2000 are given, based upon recent developments in the Netherlands to which the Society contributed in its own way.     

人类活动对湟水流域生态环境的影响

湟水流域属青藏高原同黄土高原的过渡带，是青海省经济、文化最发达的地区，也是近代青藏高原受人为经济活动影响最强烈的地区之一。由于流域的社会经济活动急剧发展，人口剧增，人类活动不断加强和扩大，使这里脆弱的生态环境发生了重大变化，表现为：现代工业的产生，工业污染日趋严重；湟水径流量逐年减少；工业用水比重逐渐增大；水上流失严重；区域小气候环境恶性化；灌区灌排不平衡，地下水位上升；生物种群和数量急剧减少；人口与资源的矛盾日趋尖锐。湟水流域的环境问题提醒我们，在我国生态环境脆弱的西部高原地区，必须高度重视资源和环境的保护，做到人口、经济、资源、环境的协调发展。     

Can epidemiology and economics make a meaningful contribution to national animal-disease control?

The general role of veterinary epidemiology and economics to national animal-disease control throughout the world is considered for the four main groupings of animal diseases: zoonotic, food-borne, endemic and epidemic diseases. This is done by considering how veterinary epidemiology and economics has contributed to priority setting (which diseases come first?), decision-making (for a given disease, which strategy is best?), and disease control implementation (how can optimal delivery and adoption of selected interventions best be achieved?). Within each of these categories, progress made and future opportunities are discussed. In addition, a review is made of how veterinary epidemiology and economics has been institutionalised. We conclude that veterinary epidemiology and economics holds a unique role in the development of national policies and strategies for improved animal health world-wide. However, we consider that we must capitalise more on the unique comparative advantage of the partnership between veterinarians and agricultural economists. We believe that much remains to be done to improve the "institutionalisation" of veterinary epidemiology and economics, and the adoption and impact of the products of our unique partnership, particularly in countries of the developing world.