Conservation biology for suites of species: Demographic modeling for Pacific island kingfishers

Conservation practitioners frequently extrapolate data from single-species investigations when managing critically endangered populations. However, few researchers initiate work with the intent of making findings useful to conservation efforts for other species. We presented and explored the concept of conducting conservation-oriented research for suites of geographically separated populations with similar natural histories, resource needs, and extinction threats. An example was provided in the form of an investigation into the population demography of endangered Micronesian kingfishers (Todiramphus cinnamominus). We provided the first demographic parameter estimates for any of the 12 endangered Pacific Todiramphus species, and used results to develop a population projection matrix model for management throughout the insular Pacific. Further, we used the model for elasticity and simulation analyses with demographic values that randomly varied across ranges that might characterize congener populations. Results from elasticity and simulation analyses indicated that changes in breeding adult survival exerted the greatest magnitude of influence on population dynamics. However, changes in nestling survival were more consistently correlated with population dynamics as demographic rates were randomly altered. We concluded that conservation practitioners working with endangered Pacific kingfishers should primarily focus efforts on factors affecting nestling and breeder survival, and secondarily address fledgling juveniles and helpers. Further, we described how the generalized base model might be changed to focus on individual populations and discussed the potential application of multi-species models to other conservation situations.     

Recovery of native plant communities after the control of a dominant invasive plant species, Foeniculum vulgare: Implications for management

The control and/or removal of a dominant invasive species is expected to lead to increases in native species richness and diversity. Small pilot studies were performed on Santa Cruz Island (SCI), California, in the early 1990s to test the efficacy of different methods on the control of Foeniculum vulgare (fennel) and management’s effects on native species recovery. We chose a treatment that showed significant native species recovery, applied it at the landscape scale, and followed its effects on fennel infested plant communities. We tested the hypothesis that results from small-scale studies translate to the landscape level. We found that although the control of fennel translated from the small to landscape scale, decreasing from an average of 60% to less than 3% cover, native species recovery did not occur in the landscape study as it did in the pilot studies. Invasive fennel cover was replaced by non-native grass cover over time. Unexpectedly, fennel cover in untreated fennel plots decreased significantly (though not as drastically) from over 60% cover to just under 40% cover while native species richness in untreated areas increased significantly. The correlation between precipitation and changes in native and non-native species richness and abundance in this study imply that changes in species abundances were highly correlated with environmental fluctuations. The lack of a native seedbank and the accumulation of non-native grass litter likely prevented the recovery of native species in treated areas. Greater vertical complexity found in fennel communities, which increased visitation by frugivorous birds and likely increased native seed dispersal, may have been responsible for the increase in native species richness in the untreated areas. These results suggest that successful invasive species control and native species recovery experiments conducted at small scales may not translate to the landscape level, and active restoration should be an organic component of such large-scale projects.     

The drivers of soil bacterial communities in rubber plantation at local and geographic scales

ABSTRACT

According to traditional biogeographic theory, historical contingency can influence soil microbial communities. Thus, we ask: are historical contingencies (soil profiles and geographic sampling locations), or other factors (seasonal changes and soil nutrients), important drivers of soil bacterial communities? This study used high throughput sequencing technology to investigate the soil bacterial compositions of rubber plantations at the local and geographic scales. Significant differences were detected in bacterial compositions between two study locations, Xishuangbanna and Hainan Island. Redundancy analysis showed that the most important factor driving bacterial composition was site location and total nitrogen, which explained 38.2 and 38.4% the total variance, respectively; this indicates that historical contingencies drive distinct bacterial communities in rubber plantation soils. At the local scale, there were also distinct differences in soil bacterial compositions between the dry and rainy season in both the Xishuangbanna and Hainan sites. Seasonal changes explained 13.6 and 41.4% of the total variation of soil bacterial composition in Xishuangbanna and on Hainan Island, respectively, whereas other factors had little effect on soil bacterial communities (p < 0.001). In conclusion, our results demonstrate that historical contingencies drive variation in bacterial composition at the geographic scale, whereas seasonal changes influence variation at the local scale.     

基于多源空间数据的"三生"空间异质性评价与分区划定

为优化"三生"空间评价方法体系,探索海南岛"三生"空间聚集性与协调度特征并制定有效的空间分区方案,该研究从空间异质性角度出发,采用多源空间数据从栅格尺度上对同地类不同地块的"三生"空间功能进行评价,再通过空间自相关及三角坐标图分析乡镇尺度上"三生"空间的聚集性与协调度特征,并为国土空间优化提供相关分区方案。结果表明:1)海南岛生产空间高分值区域集中分布在沿海市县,呈"四周高、中间低,北部高、南部低"的分布特征,且城镇生产空间与农业生产空间有所差异;生活空间高分值区域多集中在各市县城镇范围内,整体呈"小集聚、大分散"的空间格局;生态空间高分值区域集中在中部地区,呈"中间高、四周低,南部高、北部低"的分布格局。2)乡镇尺度上海南岛生产、生活、生态空间功能值的Moran’sI指数分别为0.569,0.221和0.716,表现出空间自相关性特征,据此面向全岛提出基于空间聚集性的"三生"空间分区方案。3)海南岛各乡镇"三生"空间存在较大的协调度差异,高值区以生态主导和"三生"协调型为主,分别占乡镇总数的51.72%与43.97%;低值区则以生态主导型为主,占乡镇总数的72.41%,据此面向全岛提出基于空间协调度的"三生"空间分区方案。该研究有效识别了同地类不同地块"三生"空间的异质性,并从空间聚集性与协调度视角提出"三生"空间分区管制方案,能够为当前国土空间优化提供参考。     

海南岛红树林湿地土壤有机碳分布规律及影响因素研究

以海南岛为例,选择环岛东、西、南、北四个方向的典型红树林群落,对土壤进行取样,测定土壤有机碳含量,计算土壤有机碳密度。通过对比群落结构、土壤理化性质、不同区域的自然条件,探讨红树林土壤有机碳的分布规律以及影响碳储量的主要因素。研究表明,土壤有机碳分布特征在垂直方向上差异显著,土壤有机碳含量最大值出现在20~40 cm,土壤有机碳密度最大值出现在0~20cm;不同群落类型土壤有机碳含量存在明显差异,以东寨港红树林为例,海莲群落土壤有机碳含量最高,为20.89±6.75 g kg-1,人工无瓣海桑林最低,为12.71±3.62 g kg-1,进一步相关分析显示,土壤有机碳含量与群落植株胸径和基盖度呈显著正相关,与株高无关;在空间分布上,表现为东方四泌湾文昌清澜港儋州新英湾海口东寨港三亚湾。最后结合海南岛红树林面积,得出海南岛红树林土壤有机碳总储量为2.39×106t。     

海南冬季主要瓜菜寒害风险区划

基于自然灾害风险分析原理,利用海南岛18个市县历年逐日气象要素、瓜菜产量、面积、寒害灾情和DEM等资料,构建基于瓜菜生物学特性的寒害致灾等级指标,综合寒害致灾危险性、孕灾敏感性、承灾体易损性和防灾能力,评估海南岛冬季瓜菜寒害风险。结果表明:西瓜冬季寒害危险性从中部向东西减小,豇豆和丝瓜冬季寒害危险性从南向北加重,辣椒冬季寒害危险性从东南向西北增加,瓜菜不同等级寒害风险概率分布形式差异明显;瓜菜冬季寒害孕灾环境敏感性从中部五指山地区向周围低海拔区降低;瓜菜冬季寒害灾损风险和防灾能力在区域上存在明显差异。瓜菜冬季寒害综合风险分布形式总体一致,中部和北部高、南部和东西部沿海低。这种寒害风险分布主要受海南冷空气活动和地形因素作用,与实际寒害发生规律一致。     

1996—2020年海南岛水源涵养量时空变化及地理探测

[目的] 分析影响海南岛水源涵养量时空变化的主要驱动因素,为海南岛生态系统水源涵养功能重点区域识别及保护,水资源管理及区域可持续发展等方面提供决策依据。[方法] 基于InVEST模型产水量模块,定量分析海南岛1996—2020年水源涵养的时空变化,并对海南岛的水源涵养影响因素展开地理探测分析研究。[结果] ①1996—2020年海南岛水源涵养总量略微上升,多年平均水源涵养量为41.77 mm,水源涵养总量为1.42×10⁹ m³。空间上,海南岛水源涵养分布呈现东高西低及北高南低的特征。各地类中,林地的水源涵养能力较强,且面积占比大,对海南岛水源涵养量的贡献显著。②水源涵养量有较强的空间正相关性,呈现明显聚集特征,水源涵养重点区域主要分布于海南岛东中部、东部沿海海岸带以及海口市西部的火山熔岩湿地。③各因子对水源涵养影响力从大到小依次为降水量、土地利用类型、实际蒸散发和高程;因子交互作用,尤其是降水与土地利用的交互显著增强水源涵养分布的解释。[结论] 气候作用和人类活动主导了海南岛水源涵养量空间格局。未来既要充分考虑气候变化对水源涵养的影响,通过建立有效措施确保海南岛生态系统水源涵养功能有效适应全球变化,又要通过土地资源的合理利用与管理,确保土地生态安全。     

舟山市白沙岛海洋牧场建设现状分析及发展对策研究

指出了海洋牧场建设成为引领世界新技术革命、发展低碳经济的一个重要载体、阐述了国内外海洋牧场的发展状况,并探讨了舟山市白沙岛海洋牧场的建设现状和未来发展趋势。     

A comparative study of mangrove ? oras in China and India

Species compositions in the mangrove habitats of China and India, especially on Hainan Island (China) and on the Sundarbans and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands (India), are of interest, showing several similarities and differences. The total mangrove areas of India cover about 6419 km 2 with 43 species (23 major and 20 minor species), while the mangrove areas of China cover about 150 km 2 with 26 speices (19 major and 7 minor speices). We carried out a comparison of mangrove floras in the Indian Sundarbans, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and in Hainan Island. The mangrove areas of the Indian Sundarbans comprise about 66.5% of the total Indian mangroves, presently covering an area of 4267 km 2 with 35 species from 22 genera and 16 families. There are 34 species from 17 genera and 13 families in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Hainan Island is considered a distribution center of mangroves; it has the largest number of mangrove species in China, i.e., 25 species from 15 genera and 12 families, accounting for about 96% of the total number of mangrove species in China. The mangroves of Hainan Island and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands belong to island types, while those of Sundarbans belong to inter-tidal deltaic types. Differences in soil type, rainfall, temperature, tidal fluctuation and other climatic features possibly cause variations in floristic composition of these regions.     

基于SWAT模型的南渡江流域土地利用/覆被变化的径流响应

为了探究热带岛屿性流域土地利用/覆被变化(Land Use/Cover Change,LUCC)的水文效应,以海南岛典型热带岛屿性流域南渡江流域为研究区,构建本地化SWAT模型,模拟流域水文过程及其对LUCC的响应,揭示流域径流的变化规律,对比不同土地利用类型的水文过程及调蓄能力,探讨了典型热带岛屿性流域LUCC的径流效应。结果表明:SWAT模型在南渡江流域的适用性良好,径流模拟对植被蒸散发、产生径流的坡面状况、土壤状况和地下水过程较敏感。不同土地利用类型对流域的产流贡献顺序为耕地>其他林地>橡胶林地; 耕地产流能力最强,其他林地和橡胶林地具有一定的截流蓄水作用。综上所述,与1990年相比,2015年南渡江流域河流径流量减少,流域LUCC导致的地表径流减少是河流径流量减少的直接原因,而蒸散发加剧是地表径流减少的主要原因。