The effects of agricultural fields and human settlements on the use of rivers by wildlife in the mid-Zambezi valley,Zimbabwe

After the eradication of the Tse-Tse fly in the Mid-Zambezi valley, human settlements and fields extended mainly along the main rivers. In order to investigate the consequences of this human development on wildlife diversity we monitored three rivers of the Mid-Zambezi valley in Zimbabwe: Angwa, Manyame and Kadzi. The rivers were divided in segments of 200 m which were checked for spoors in order to assess the number of species and the number of individuals that used the segments. Human settlements were also recorded. We used a GIS to define the spatial characteristics of the fields present along the rivers, and related them to the distribution and abundance of wild species spoors in the river beds and banks. Our results show that the number of species in one segment of the river decreased with the increasing size of the field area bordering the segment. For all the major ungulate species, the numbers of individuals recorded per segment decreased with increasing field area. A similar trend was observed for small and medium-sized carnivores, though they were in lower numbers when present. Our analyses thus confirm that the extension of human agriculture in wildlife areas has an impact on most wild species, but we also define some threshold value of field size above which there seem to be an acceleration of the decrease in wildlife density and diversity: 3.2 ha for medium and small herbivores and carnivores; only the elephant seem to tolerate larger field area with a threshold value of 32 ha.This revised version was published online in May 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Spatial pattern analysis of pre- and post-hurricane forest canopy structure in North Carolina,USA

Existing spatial patterns of a forest are in part a product of its disturbance history. Using laser altimetry and field measures of canopy top height to represent pre- and post-hurricane canopy topography, respectively, we measured changes in spatial patterns of stand structure of a United States southern mixed coniferous-deciduous for est. Autocorrelative and fractal properties were measured in this opportunistic study to quantify changes in canopy architecture along twelve, 190-250 m transects that were subjected to moderate to high levels of wind disturbance. Prior to the hurricane, canopy heights were autocorrelated at scales <40 m with an average fractal dimension of 1.71. After the disturbance, autocorrelation disappeared; the average fractal dimension rose to 1.94. This shift towards spatial randomness illustrates part of the cyclical nature of ecosystem development. It shows how a catastrophic collapse of biomass accumulation corresponds to a decrease in ecosystem organization across a landscape. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Changes of urinary albumin and N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase in high altitude polycythemia at different altitudes and its mechanism

AIM:To study the changes of excretive amount of albumin(ALB), N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase(NAG) in patients with high altitude polycythemia(HAPC) at different altitude and its mechanism.METHODS:Urinary ALB, NAG, activity of red blood cell superoxide dismutase(RBC-SOD), malonyldialdehyde(MDA) and erythrocyte filtration index(EFI) of 231 healthy subjects and 86 patients with HAPC at different altitude were detected.RESULTS:Excretive amount of urinary ALB, NAG, and plasma MDA, EFI were higher, and RBC-SOD was lower in patients with HAPC than those in healthy subjects, the changes were significantly obvious, with increasing altitude. Urinary ALB and NAG were negatively correlates to EFI, and no correlated to the content of MDA and RBC-SOD.CONCLUSIONS:EFI exertes an independent influence on urinary ALB and NAG. The decrease in erythrocyte deformability caused by the increase of peroxidation of lipids might participate in the pathogenesis and progress of the increase of excretive amount of ALB and NAG in HAPC.     

中国北方干旱半干旱地区宏观地貌的发育特征

分析了中国北方地区宏观地貌的基本特征、地质构造背景和地貌发育的主要影响因素,以期形成对北方干旱半干旱地区的自然地理条件、生态环境特征及农业发展基础条件的深刻认识,为生态环境的保护和区域农业规划提供参考。     

河西走廊典型绿洲景观格局比较研究--以张掖、临泽、高台、酒泉为例

以地处河西走廊的张掖、临泽、高台和酒泉等县 /市级行政区为景观单元 ,利用LandsetTM影像资料的目视解译 ,在ArcView 3.1和景观格局分析软件FRAGSTATS的支持下 ,计算各绿洲景观格局指标。结果表明 :荒漠类型在四个绿洲景观组分中占绝对优势 ,其次为水浇地 ,但不同绿洲水浇地所占比例相差较大 ,酒泉最高 ,张掖其次 ,高台最低 ;斑块数、斑块密度、边缘密度和平均斑块面积的差异表明 ,张掖绿洲景观类型最多且斑块粒径小 ,而高台则完全相反 ,体现出单调而粒径粗大的荒漠绿洲特征。     

景观格局分布特征的区域差异分析--以鄂尔多斯高原伊金霍洛旗为例

以内蒙古鄂尔多斯高原伊金霍洛旗为研究区域 ,以TM遥感影像解译的 1998年土地利用图为基础资料 ,将伊金霍洛旗划分为毛乌素沙地亚区、乌审凹地亚区和黄土丘陵亚区。从区域尺度 ,利用多样性、优势度、均匀度、分维数、平均斑块形状指数、平均斑块大小、斑块密度指数和斑块体平均斑块边缘等指数 ,对不同景观亚区的景观格局进行了数量分析。结果表明 ,在景观亚区这一尺度上 ,毛乌素沙地亚区一方面对该旗景观格局起控制作用 ,另一方面该亚区所承受的人类活动强度最大 ,景观的破碎化程度最深。而乌审凹地亚区的景观破碎化程度最小 ,人类活动强度最弱。从景观要素来看 ,无论哪一亚区均以天然草地为景观基质 ;不同类型斑块总的格局特点是 ,受人类影响程度愈深的斑块 ,其破碎化程度愈深 ,斑块的复杂性降低。总体而言 ,天然类型的斑块体 ,其斑块复杂性以乌审凹地亚区最为复杂 ,斑块的破碎化程度则以毛乌素沙地亚区最深 ;而人工斑块类型的变化规律在不同斑块类型之间稍有不同。     

基于不同尺度的干旱区城市景观生态研究--以陕西榆林市为例

从区域与城市两个尺度水平 ,对毛乌素沙漠南缘的榆林市城市景观进行研究认为 :在大尺度水平上 ,区域景观生态特征对城市景观特征具有一定的控制作用 ,而城市景观强大的功能流对区域景观产生干扰作用。城市景观的空间扩展与演化 ,既受区域景观特征的影响 ,也是区域景观演化的一个有机构成部分 ;在小尺度空间上 ,景观功能区、景观斑块与廊道的格局与功能 ,对城市景观格局动态以及维持城市景观多样的生态功能具有重要意义。在不同的利益追求下形成的景观文化 ,将深刻地影响到区域与城市景观演化的方向与过程。     

沙漠化过程土壤种子库特征的研究

采用野外定点取样与室内萌发实验相结合的方法 ,研究了 4种不同类型退化沙地土壤种子库特征 ,主要结论是 :(1)土壤种子库密度随沙漠化程度的增加而下降 ,不同沙漠化发展阶段下降速率不同 ,从固定到半固定沙地是种子库密度衰减最快的时期 ;(2 )土壤种子库植物种数从固定到半流动沙地变化很小 ,半流动到流动沙地衰减速度明显加快 ,是种子库植物种数衰减最快的时期 ;(3) 4种类型退化沙地土壤种子库的种类组成以 1、2年生草本植物为主 ,所占比例 79%～ 88% ,多年生草本和灌木所占比例很小 ;(4 )土壤种子库物种多样性指数并非随着沙漠化程度的增加而下降 ,其中半流动沙地的物种多样性指数最小 ;(5 ) 4种类型退化沙地土壤种子库组成上的相似性系数变化范围为 0 .82 9～ 1.0 0 0 ,表现出较小的空间异质性。     

Analysis of the association among three viruses infecting hop in Australia

Associations among Hop latent virus (HpLV), Hop mosaic virus (HpMV), and Apple mosaic virus (ApMV) were assessed in five hop cultivars at four commercial hop-growing regions in Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. The presence or absence of each virus was confirmed by double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA). Spatial patterns of virus-infected plants were characterized using the Spatial Analysis by Distance IndicEs ( sadie ) system of pattern analysis. The association among viruses (occurrence and covariation) was assessed using the Jaccard similarity index, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, and sadie . The spatial pattern of plants infected by HpLV and HpMV ranged from random to highly aggregated depending upon the cultivar infected and the mean disease incidence. The spatial pattern of plants infected by ApMV was aggregated in six of the seven plots where ApMV was present. A strong positive association between HpLV and HpMV was found in all cultivars at all locations. This association may be the result of the viruses sharing a common aphid vector species, the presence of one virus enhancing the ability of the aphid vector to acquire the other virus either through transencapsidation or influences on virus titre, or mixed infections within source plants. Significant associations, positive or negative, were found less frequently between HpLV and ApMV, and HpMV and ApMV.     

晋西昕水河流域生态经济型防护林体系景观格局动态分析

本文以晋西昕水河流域为典型实例，概述了流域生态经济型防护林体系建设背景。依据流域内各类型区在不同时段的土地利用结构和生态经济特征，进行流域生态经济型防护林体系景观格局变化分析，表明了流域内景观多样性和异质性不断增加的发展趋势，以及确定各区主要发展方向，实行综合开发与治理的必要性，并提出了相应的流域生态经济型防护林体系动态调控途径。