Scale effects in crop—fallow rotations

Many aspects of scaling up must be considered in the spectrum between promising results of new technologies in experimental plots and wide adoption by farmers. These aspects include extrapolating in time to optimize management decisions, extrapolating in space from small plots to large fields and to other farms and regions, and enlarging the range of (presumed) beneficiaries. Models can help in all these aspects to lay a biophysical foundation on which socioeconomic decisions can be built. We focus here on improved fallow systems where trees are planted to restore soil fertility for subsequent food crops. The restoration of soil fertility — based on biomass production, litterfall, and build-up of dynamic soil organic matter pools — depends on total resource capture by the fallow vegetation. Where lateral resource capture and lateral resource flow play a substantive role in the performance of the fallow, the size (scale) of fallow and cropped plots may influence both the build-up and the decline of soil fertility during a cycle. On small farms, fallow systems should not be seen as pure sequential systems, but as mosaics of spatially interacting fallow and cropped plots. Border effects depend on the lateral spread of the root system of the fallow vegetation, as well as on rainfall and N supply. Scale effects in technology adoption include both positive and negative feedback effects, because the spread of a technology may both accelerate innovations as well as increase threats from pest and disease attack.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

森林资源多维数据模型研究及应用

针对目前森林资源规划设计调查数据管理与应用中存在的问题,将多维数据模型的理论和技术引入森林资源管理中,建立以森林资源二类调查数据为基础的包括空间、属性21个维度的多维森林资源数据模型.并在此基础上研究多维数据模型在林业管理决策中的应用,实现了如下功能:1)对资源数据的多级聚合、上卷/下钻、嵌套、旋转等操作;2)空间与属性数据的结合,通过维度的层次结构,建立面向国家、省、县等不同数据粒度的林业专题图;3)实现多层次、多角度组合进行数据分析的功能.     

Diversity surfaces and species wave fronts in a soil microarthropod assemblage: Adding the dimension of time

As a general rule, animal species of intermediate size within a given taxonomic group are most abundant in nature. It is not known if these patterns occur in small-bodied taxa, such as soil microarthropods, or how these patterns change through time. Here I show that Oribatida (Acari), the most abundant and diverse arthropod fauna of coniferous forest soils, exhibit this pattern. However, the pattern is more complex than reported for other arthropods. I analyzed the total species surface comprising 6613 individuals and 54 species by forest stand. The underlying pattern consists of 15-year stands and 30-year stands forming two distinct and separated maxima. These results suggest that assemblage patterns form early in the development of ecological communities, and that these patterns appear within the soil assemblage as waves propagating in species–abundance–body size space during forest development. These results also support the assertion that undescribed species will likely be of intermediate size within a group. This analysis contributes to investigations of biodiversity and body size relationships by adding the temporal dimension. Potential applications are in disturbance and indicator studies or other work where changes in assemblage structure are used as measures of disturbance or as response variables in manipulative studies.     

Genetic diversity in African cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) provides potential for germplasm enhancement

Genetic diversity among 26 cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. var. sativus) accessions from five African countries [Algeria (1), Egypt (21), Ethiopia (2), Kenya (1), and Libya (1)] present in the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) were examined by assessing variation at 71 polymorphic random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) loci. Genetic distances (GD; simple matching coefficient) were estimated among these African accessions and a reference array (RA) of 21 accessions representative of the genetic variation in cucumber. GD among African accessions ranged between 0.41 and 0.97. GD among accessions in the reference array ranged between 0.36 and 0.88. Multivariate analysis identified three distinct groupings (1–3) of African accessions; Group 1 contained 21 accessions (Egypt, Ethiopia and Libya), Group 2 consisted of two accessions (Kenya, Algeria), and Group 3 possessed three accessions (Egypt). These groupings were distinct from each other (P > 0.001). Accessions in Group 1 differed genetically from all other accessions examined (P > 0.01), and accessions in Groups 2 and 3 were uniquely associated with several RA accessions. While GD among accessions in Group 1 ranged between 0.52 and 0.90, distances among Group 2 accessions varied between 0.93 and 0.97. The GD between the two accessions in Group 3 was 0.65. An accession from Syria (PI 181874) and from one Turkey (PI 199383) were genetically more similar to accessions in Group 1 than to other accessions in the RA. Likewise, accessions in Group 2 were genetically similar to two RA accessions from China and a European glasshouse cucumber line, and Group 3 accessions showed genetic affinities with the U.S. market class cultivar Dasher II. Data suggest that some Egyptian accessions (Group 1) possess unique genetic variation, that this germplasm has potential for broadening the genetic base of commerical cucumber, and that further collection of African germplasm is likely to enhance genetic diversity of cucumber in NPGS.     

内燃机工作过程多维模型计算机仿真平台设计与实现

设计了内燃机工作过程仿真集成化PC平台.以缸内流体动力学为基础,耦合反映缸内工作过程的喷射、燃烧和碳烟生成等子模型构建了平台的多维模型;通过设置Compaq Visual Fortran软件的双精度运行环境,在PC微机上成功编译了KIVA-3V源代码;然后通过设计可视化模块,实现了平台计算与可视的集成化功能.试验分析表明:仿真平台能模拟内燃机缸内工作过程,准确反映客观物理因素对工作过程的影响,仿真误差小于5%,可以在内燃机行业推广.     

Spectral representation of neutral landscapes

Pattern in ecological landscapes is often the result of different processes operating at different scales. Neutral landscape models were introduced in landscape ecology to differentiate patterns that are the result of simple random processes from patterns that arise from more complex ecological processes. Recent studies have used increasingly complex neutral models that incorporate contagion and other constraints on random patterns, as well as using neutral landscapes as input to spatial simulation models. Here, I consider a common mathematical framework based on spectral transforms that represents all neutral landscape models in terms of sets of spectral basis functions. Fractal and multi-fractal models are considered, as well as models with multiple scaling regions and anisotropy. All of the models considered are shown to be variations on a basic theme: a scaling relation between frequency and amplitude of spectral components. Two example landscapes examined showed long-range correlations (distances up to 1000 km) consistent with fractal scaling.     

Scaling properties in landscape patterns: New Zealand experience

In this paper we present a case study of spatial structure in landscape patterns for the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The aim was to characterise quantitatively landscape heterogeneity and investigate its possible scaling properties. The study examines spatial heterogeneity, in particular patchiness, at a range of spatial scales, to help build understanding on the effects of landscape heterogeneity on water movement in particular, and landscape ecology in general.We used spatial information on various landscape properties (soils, hydrogeology, vegetation, topography) generated from the New Zealand Land Resource Inventory. To analyse this data set we applied various methods of fractal analyses following the hypothesis that patchiness in selected landscape properties demonstrates fractal scaling behaviour at two structural levels: (1) individual patches; and (2) mosaics (sets) of patches.Individual patches revealed scaling behaviour for both patch shape and boundary. We found self-affinity in patch shape with Hurst exponent H from 0.75 to 0.95. We also showed that patch boundaries in most cases were self-similar and in a few cases of large patches were self-affine. The degree of self-affinity was lower for finer patches. Similarly, when patch scale decreases the orientation of patches tends to be uniformly distributed, though patch orientation on average is clearly correlated with broad scale geological structures. These results reflect a tendency to isotropic behaviour of individual patches from broad to finer scales. Mosaics of patches also revealed fractal scaling in the total patch boundaries, patch centers of mass, and in patch area distribution. All these reflect a special organisation in patchiness represented in fractal patch clustering. General relationships which interconnect fractal scaling exponents were derived and tested. These relationships show how scaling properties of individual patches affect those for mosaics of patches and vice-versa. To explain similarity in scaling behaviour in patchiness of different types we suggest that the Self-Organised Criticality concept should be used. Also, potential applications of our results in landscape ecology are discussed, especially in relation to improved neutral landscape models.     

Integrated Evaluation of Ecological Security at Different Scales Using Remote Sensing： A Case Study of Zhongxian County,the Three Gorges Area, China

Based on related literature and this research, an ecological security evaluation from the pixel scale to the small watershed or county scale was presented using remote sensing data and related models. With the driver-pressure, state and exposure to pollution-response （DPSER） model as a basis, a conceptual framework of regional ecological evaluation and an index system were established. The extraction and standardization of evaluation indices were carried out with GIS techniques, an information extraction model and a data standardization model. The conversion of regional ecological security results from the pixel scale to a small watershed or county scale was obtained with an evaluation model and a scaling model. Two conceptual scale conversion models of regional ecological security from the pixel scale to the county scale were proposed： 1） scale conversion of ecological security regime results from plxel to small watershed; and 2） scale conversion from pixel to county. These research results could provide useful ideas for regional ecological security evaluation as well as ecological and environmental management.     

蚕茧个体称量中雌雄自动判别探讨

探讨了在育种和良种繁育的蚕茧个体称量中，采用Bayes线性判别函数，以全茧量、茧层量的称量数据，对雌雄蚕茧进行自动判别的方法。对良种繁育中的蚕茧1579颗、育种中的蚕茧3025颗的个体称量数据进行判别，其准确率均达97％以上。     

保水剂与尿素对3个木薯品种耐旱性的影响评价

[目的]探讨品种、保水剂、尿素对木薯（ManihotesculentaCrantz．）耐旱性的影响,为优化其节水栽培技术提供理论依据,对其获得持续的稳产高产有积极重要的意义。[方法]以木薯品种、保水剂、尿素和干旱胁迫进行4因子3水平的正交设计,再运用灰色模糊多维综合评判理论,计算出27个试验处理的模糊综合评判值。[结果]在无干旱胁迫时,华南11号木薯在施用保水剂0．2g／盆、尿素0．6g/盆时表现最好;在轻度干旱胁迫时,华南11号木薯在施用保水剂0．2g／盆、尿素0g／盆时表现较好;在中度干旱胁迫时,华南8号在施用保水剂0．2g／盆、尿素0．6g/盆时表现较好。灰色关联度分析结果显示,株高与氮含量之间的关联度最高（为0．730）,其次是茎粗、相对电导率、根冠比、叶绿素含量、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性和脯氨酸含量,这表明株高与尿素的施用相关性较高。综上所述,在干旱情况下,华南11号与华南205的表现略优于华南8号。[结论]保水剂对华南11号的影响最大,对华南205的影响较大,对华南8号的影响最小;尿素的施用,仅能稍微提高木薯的抗旱性。