Ecotourist trail-use affects the taxonomic,functional and phylogenetic diversity of mammals in a protected area: lessons for conservation management

Ecotourism, by definition, aims to engage peoples’ interest in wildlife and the environment. The use of tourist roads and trails to access sites within protected areas (PAs) can detrimentally affect the behavior and distribution of species. The way mammals respond to anthropogenic pressures may differ across taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic groups; nevertheless, how ecotourist trail-use affects these different diversity remains under-investigated. Here, we assessed 6 metrics of taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity for a mammal community in a PA in central China, recording how Trail use (using Trail type as a proxy) and habitat variables affected sightings and signs of mammals across 60 replicate 0.5 km transects. We then examined how Trail use affected the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity indices of species (>1 kg). Using generalized liner mixed modeling, we identified that more used trail types had a greater adverse effect on all diversity richness indices than did less used trail types. Consequently, tourist pressure was associated with a general tendency to homogenize the site's mammal community. In contrast, the effects of Trail Types on all diversity evenness indices were non-significant. Furthermore, more developed and more heavily used trail types had a greater, significant negative effect on taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic richness, whereas these richness indices were unaffected by minor trail types, used less intensively. As a general principle, lower biodiversity indices reduce ecosystem resilience, and so it is vital to better understand these responses to balance public access against biodiversity management in PAs.     

异步电动机调速系统自适应辨识的CMAC-ADRC算法

针对异步电动机调速系统快速响应时启动超调量大的问题,提出了一种基于自适应参数辨识的小脑模型神经网络复合自抗扰控制(CMAC-ADRC)的控制算法。将CMAC与ADRC各自的优点相结合,利用CMAC神经网络实现前馈控制,通过在线学习来抑制系统的超调量,增强系统的鲁棒性能,提高系统的快速性能,利用ADRC技术实现反馈控制,进一步增强系统的抗干扰能力。利用参考模型自适应参数辨识技术对转动惯量进行辨识,优化自抗扰补偿系数。以变频器结合异步电动机为控制对象,进行仿真,基于自适应参数辨识的CMAC-ADRC控制算法的干扰响应幅度是一阶优化自抗扰控制下干扰响应幅度的44.57%,是小脑模型神经网络复合比例-微分(CMACPD)控制下干扰响应幅度的17.69%,干扰恢复时间是一阶优化自抗扰控制下干扰恢复时间的50%,是CMAC-PD控制下恢复时间的60%。搭建MCU-CPLD-DSP控制平台进行了实验,基于自适应参数辨识的CMAC-ADRC控制算法的超调量是一阶优化自抗扰控制的45.49%,上升时间是一阶优化自抗扰控制的53.33%,干扰响应幅度是一阶优化自抗扰控制干扰响应幅度的71%,干扰恢复时间是一阶优化自抗扰控制干扰恢复时间的76.47%。     

短学期制下植物学实验课程开设探索

介绍了短学期制下植物学实验课程概况,指出了课程开设面临的问题,提出了相应的解决对策与建议。     

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.     

Fire-induced changes in northern Patagonian landscapes

In northern Patagonia, Argentina we quantify changes in fire frequency along a gradient from mesic Nothofagus dombeyi forest to xeric woodlands of Austrocedrus chilensis at the steppe ecotone, and we examine patterns of vegetation change coincident with the changes in fire regimes across a range of spatial scales. At a regional scale changes in land cover types are documented by comparing 1:250000 scale cover type maps from 1913 and 1985. Changes in landscape structure are analyzed by comparing vegetation patterns on 1:24000 scale aerial photographs taken in 1940 and 1970. Fire frequency peaked in the late nineteenth-century due to widespread burning and clearing of forests by European settlers late in the century. Subsequently, fire frequency declined dramatically about 1910 due to the cessation of intentional fires and has remained low due to increasingly effective fire exclusion. At a regional scale there has been a dramatic increase during the twentieth century in the proportion of forest cover relative to areas mapped as recent burns or shrublands in 1913. Remnant forest patches that survived the widespread late-nineteenth century burning have coalesced to form more continuous forest covers, and formerly continuous areas of shrublands have become dissected by forest. Under reduced fire frequency there has been a shift in dominance from short-lived resprouting species (mostly shrubs) towards longer-lived species and obligate seed-dispersers such as Austrocedrus chilensis and Nothofagus dombeyi. Due to limited seed dispersal of these tree species, the spatial configuration of remnant forest patches plays a key role in subsequent changes in landscape pattern.     

动物践踏干扰对生物结皮中微生物生态分布的影响

古尔班通古特沙漠作为北疆冬季牧场,普遍承受牲畜的践踏干扰,研究表明:动物践踏干扰导致各种类型生物结皮的覆盖度有不同程度的降低,干扰主要集中于结皮层(0～2 cm).微生物各类群对践踏干扰的反应具差异性,真菌与干扰的相关性最高,细菌和放线菌对干扰不敏感.践踏干扰改变了微生物各类群在垄间低地的数量垂直分布格局,但并未改变微生物区系组成.有机质对干扰不敏感,仍随土层加深而递减,在结皮层(0～2 cm)中与干扰率的相关性相对较高.     

Determining landscape extent for succession and disturbance simulation modeling

Dividing regions into manageable landscape units presents special problems in landscape ecology and land management. Ideally, a landscape should be large enough to capture a broad range of vegetation, environmental and disturbance dynamics, but small enough to be useful for focused management objectives. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal landscape size to summarize ecological processes for two large land areas in the southwestern United States. We used a vegetation and disturbance dynamics model, LANDSUMv4, to simulate a set of nine scenarios involving systematically varied topography, map resolution, and model parameterizations of fire size and fire frequency. Spatial input data were supplied by the LANDscape FIRE Management Planning System (LANDFIRE) prototype project, an effort that will provide comprehensive and scientifically credible mid-scale data to support the National Fire Plan. We analyzed output from 2,000 year simulations to determine the thresholds of landscape condition based on the variability of burned area and dominant vegetation coverage. Results show that optimal landscape extent using burned area variability is approximately 100 km² depending on topography, map resolution, and model parameterization. Variability of dominant vegetation area is generally higher and the optimal landscape sizes are larger in comparison to those features determined from burned area. Using the LANDFIRE project as a case study, we determined landscape size and map resolution for a large mapping project, and showed that optimal landscape size depends upon geographical, ecological, and management context. This paper was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and therefore is in the public domain and not subject to copyright. The use of trade or firm names in this paper is for reader information and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of any product or service.     

Habitat relationships with fish assemblages in minimally disturbed Great Plains regions

Abstract – Effects of local environmental influences on the structure of fish assemblages were evaluated from 159 sites in two regions of the Great Plains with limited anthropogenic disturbance. These regions offered an opportunity to evaluate the structure and variation of streams and fish assemblages within the Great Plains. We used canonical correspondence analyses to determine the influence of environmental conditions on species abundances, species occurrences and assemblage characteristics. Analysis of regions separately indicated that similar environmental factors structured streams and fish assemblages, despite differences in environmental conditions and species composition between regions. Variance in fish abundance and assemblage characteristics from both regions was best explained by metrics of stream size and associated metrics (width, depth, conductivity and instream cover). Our results provide a framework and reference for conditions and assemblage structure in North American prairie streams.     

高原鼠兔干扰对高寒草地碳循环的影响研究进展

高原鼠兔(Ochotona curzoniae)是青藏高原的关键种,其干扰导致高寒草地下垫面形成植被和裸地斑块镶嵌共存的景观格局,加剧了植被生产力和土壤有机碳的空间异质性分布,改变了生态系统碳交换过程。为了增进对高原鼠兔干扰在高寒草地碳循环中作用的认识,本文综述了高原鼠兔干扰对高寒草地生态系统有机碳储量和碳交换的作用过程和影响机制。总结出采食、堆土和挖掘是高原鼠兔直接影响高寒草地的主要方式,同时堆土和挖掘也是高寒草地秃斑化的潜在诱因,秃斑侵蚀、扩张以及本身的热岛效应也会对高寒草地生态系统功能产生影响。尽管高原鼠兔挖掘活动促进了土壤养分循环有利于生态系统有机碳的累积,但是堆土以及与高原鼠兔干扰相关联的秃斑化也会引起潜在的有机碳流失。高原鼠兔挖掘洞穴打破了生态系统原有的碳交换平衡,加速了CO₂通过鼠兔洞道扩散排出,而堆土和秃斑化后植被物种组成改变,地上、地下生物量分配格局的变化以及土壤暖干化是生态系统碳交换发生改变的主要原因。基于现有研究进展,未来的研究需要重点关注大尺度高原鼠兔干扰对生态系统有机碳储量的量化评估,以及耦合生态系统碳储量和碳收支的综合研究。     

天山云杉林林冠干扰前后植物多样性及其与环境的关系

林冠干扰后，林窗内因小环境的改变使得植被作出相应的反应。1999年对天山云杉林林窗内和林内的植被进行的调查结果表明：在本研究范围内的天山云杉林中，经过林冠干扰后，植被受一定的影响。林冠空隙内丰富度指数均大于林内；36．7％的林冠空隙内个体生态优势度小于林内；76．7％的林内的均匀度指数大于林冠空隙内；66．7％的林冠空隙Shannon个体多样性指数大于林内。林冠干扰前后，各环境因子和植物多样性之间有一定的相关关系。影响林冠空隙内各多样性指数的因子包括海拔、有效N、有机质、全K、全P和总盐，有效N、有机质、全K、全P和总盐对均匀度指数有显著性影响；而影响林内各多样性指数的因子包括坡向、坡位、坡度、光照强度、有效N、全K、全P和总盐，但仅有坡向、坡度、光照强度对生态优势度指数有显著性影响。