超级居群：连接生境多样性和生物多样性之桥

在达尔文（1859）看来,新物种只有通过竞争或者自然选择的方式淘汰原有物种才能进入由其他物种占据的生境并成功定居下来。然而,新物种进入生境并成功定居还有另外一个途径,那就是由于超级居群能在全球尺度上改变整个地球环境,从而能在原有环境中创造出一些全新的微环境来,正是这些全新的微环境使新物种避开了和原有定居者的剧烈竞争,很容易地进入了一直由其他物种占据的生境中并成功地定居下来。换句话说,超级居群导致了全球环境的分化,导致了全球尺度上的生境多样性。同时,超级居群通过环境的异质化为新物种准备好了很多全新的微环境,新物种在全新的微环境中的成功定居实现了新物种和原有定居者的长期共存。而这种长期共存导致了整个生物圈的生物多样性的增加。超级居群是地球上很多新环境的创造者,是生境多样性和生物多样性之间的桥梁,据此就能很容易地解释新物种为什么不时能和原有定居者共存甚至依赖于原有定居者,从而导致二者间剧烈竞争缺失的现象。     

Societal expectations of livestock farming in relation to environmental effects in Europe

The potential environmental effects of livestock farming are mainly associated with intensification of poultry, pig and dairy cow production systems. The major impacts are mainly caused by housing of livestock, which can lead to air and water pollution associated with nitrogen and phosphorus emissions and losses from manure. European countries regulate the potential for these types of pollution through a number of mechanisms, which have received wide public acceptance. In grazing systems, nitrogen pollution, associated with the use of nitrogen fertilizer, is also the subject of legislation. Perhaps because of this regulatory approach, surveys of the public have found that human food quality and animal welfare are more important issues than effects on air and water quality when considering livestock systems.Variation in stocking rates of grazing ruminants can change the structure and composition of pastures with potential impacts on biodiversity and the production of methane, a greenhouse gas. In European countries, maximum stocking rates have been set to reduce these impacts. Surveys of the European public have suggested that they are willing to pay for the mitigation of these environmental effects but that they also value strongly the cultural component of grazed livestock systems. There are few underlying concepts about how society views the environmental impacts of livestock systems. These are used to conclude that current attitudes are likely to prevail in the next decade.     

Effects of land ownership and landscape-level factors on rare-species richness in natural areas of southern Ontario,Canada

Surprisingly few studies have considered the extent to which the nature of the ownership of land is associated with differences in biodiversity. We analysed ownership and other landscape-level effects on rare-species richness for both globally- and regionally-rare biota (including birds, herpetofauna, butterflies, mammals, and plants) in 289 designated natural areas (NAs) in southern Ontario, Canada. Information about each NA −including area, number of plant communities, ownership status and details of species diversity were collected from published sources. Length of perimeter of NA, relative isolation, and an estimate of fragmentation were measured using image analysis and GIS techniques. NAs were in general relatively small, with mean area of 158 ha (median 85 ha, range from 0.9 to 1278 ha) for private NAs; public NAs had mean area of 132 ha (median 16 ha, range from 0.1 to 1481 ha). Mean number of plant communities was 4.6 (median 4, range 1- 13) at private NAs and 3.8 (median 3, range 1-16) at public NAs. Our results show that, of several landscape-level factors, area had the greatest effects on rare-species richness and other biotic indices. Effects of area were followed by effects of plant community diversity, however this was itself significantly affected by area and the extent of perimeter of the NA. Both these factors were followed by effects of ownership of the NA and by effects of isolation of the NA (represented by minimum distance to nearest NA and by number of NAs in 10 km radius). Other landscape- level factors did not appear to have overall significant effects. Variation in area accounted for 0.1% to 29% of variation in number of rare species, with lower values for globally-rare, than for regionally-rare taxa. For all biotic groups, public ownership of NAs was associated with significantly greater rare-species richness compared to private ownership, even after other factors such as area were controlled. For all globally-rare biota except butterflies, area of NA had greater effects on rare-species richness than did ownership. Richness of regionally- rare birds was more affected by plant community diversity than by area of NA. Number of recorded plant communities accounted from 2.1% of variation in number of globally-rare plant species to as high as 31% of variation in regionally-rare butterflies. The diversity of plant communities was itself influenced by total site area (accounting for 45% of variation), extent of elongation of the NA, and both external- and interior- edge perimeters. Public NAs had greatest numbers of rare biota and so should be a significant focus for conservation programs. Smaller, privately-owned patches of natural area dominate (by number and area) in this densely populated region and their significance should not be overlooked. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

江河源区草地资源现状及其可持续发展

在分析青海省江河源区草地资源现状的基础上，进一步剖析了造成该区域草地生态环境恶化的综合因素，提出了合理利用和保护天然草地，优化草地生产结构，加强基础设施建设，建立饲草料生产基地，遏制草地退化，使草地生态进入良性演替，实现江河源区草地资源可持续利用和草地畜牧业可持续发展的对策。     

内蒙古乌拉盖草原湿地中下游植被退化演替趋势分析

针对内蒙古锡林郭勒盟东乌旗乌拉盖草原湿地植被退化问题,采用植被生态调查方法进行生态损伤评估和植被演替趋势分析.调查结果表明:在乌拉盖河截流5年内,乌拉盖湿地中下游植被退化迅速,原生植被的建群种和优势种基本消失,群落高度和盖度迅速降低,原生植被群落重要值显著降低,次生植被群落重要值增加;植物种的数量大量减少,植物多样性严重降低;一年生草本植物数量和比例明显高于多年生草本植物,部分荒漠化严重地区还出现超旱生植物小果白刺(Nitraria sibirica Pall.);乌拉盖草原湿地已经从草原湿地植被演替为碱蓬盐化草甸植被和盐漠化裸地.     

Shifts in microbial diversity through land use intensity as drivers of carbon mineralization in soil

Land use practices alter the biomass and structure of soil microbial communities. However, the impact of land management intensity on soil microbial diversity (i.e. richness and evenness) and consequences for functioning is still poorly understood. Here, we addressed this question by coupling molecular characterization of microbial diversity with measurements of carbon (C) mineralization in soils obtained from three locations across Europe, each representing a gradient of land management intensity under different soil and environmental conditions. Bacterial and fungal diversity were characterized by high throughput sequencing of ribosomal genes. Carbon cycling activities (i.e., mineralization of autochthonous soil organic matter, mineralization of allochthonous plant residues) were measured by quantifying ¹²C- and ¹³C-CO₂ release after soils had been amended, or not, with ¹³C-labelled wheat residues. Variation partitioning analysis was used to rank biological and physicochemical soil parameters according to their relative contribution to these activities. Across all three locations, microbial diversity was greatest at intermediate levels of land use intensity, indicating that optimal management of soil microbial diversity might not be achieved under the least intensive agriculture. Microbial richness was the best predictor of the C-cycling activities, with bacterial and fungal richness explaining 32.2 and 17% of the intensity of autochthonous soil organic matter mineralization; and fungal richness explaining 77% of the intensity of wheat residues mineralization. Altogether, our results provide evidence that there is scope for improvement in soil management to enhance microbial biodiversity and optimize C transformations mediated by microbial communities in soil.     

不同发育阶段日本落叶松人工林枯落物层微生物群落特征

为探寻日本落叶松人工林在中龄林或近熟林阶段地力衰退的机制，以分子生物学实验手段与常规实验分析方法结合，分别对不同发育阶段林分枯落物未分解层、半分解层以及全分解层微生物的数量、群落结构以及理化性质进行分析，并采用冗余分析法探索枯落物层微生物群落结构与理化性质的相关性。结果表明：枯落物储量及养分储量随林分发育呈倒“V”字型变化趋势，在近熟林阶段最大，微生物数量、均匀度指数在中龄林或近熟林最低。不同发育阶段林分优势细菌种类基本相同，但相对含量不同；优势真菌的种类明显不同，尤其是在近熟林半分解层。中龄林与近熟林未、半分解层受环境因素影响较大，主要受pH、有效磷、碱解氮、速效钾、全钾、C/N以及林下植被生物量影响。因此，日本落叶松纯林在中龄林与近熟林阶段需强化植被管理，适时开展修枝间伐等经营措施，促进林下植被发育、改善枯落物性质，加速养分循环，缓解地力衰退。     

黑龙江省兴凯湖保护区的基本特点及其有效管理

兴凯湖保护区是我国东北穆棱一三江平原湿地最具代表性、保存最好、面积最大的区域，而且与俄罗斯接壤，可以说是湿地生物多样性保护的一个热点区域。在当前提倡对湿地、淡水水域和海域加大保护力度的关键时刻，集中相应的人力、物力对它给予更多的关注是十分必要的。本文对其基本特点、有效管理的成就和存在的问题作简要介绍，并提出相应的建议，供有关方面参考。     

新世纪保护区面临的挑战及其有效对策

道路、水库、建筑物、不断扩大的农田和土地退化正在使自然景观的完整性受到严重破坏。所保存的未经干扰或少受干扰的天然生态系统的面积日益缩小，犹如海洋中的孤岛。生物多样性受到严重的威胁。在自然保护区中，物种迁移和基因流动的可能性也在不断地降低。生物区域规划被认为是一种较好的选择，它力求把保护区和栽培地区视为一个有机整体，遵循保护和发展密切结合的方针，制定行动计划并予以实施。本文根据保护区的管理情况、工作条件和科研状况等，对保护区或区域的类型进行了划分，针对现实，提出了如何实施生物区域规划。