Predator control for protecting kaki (Himantopus novaezelandiae)—lessons from 20 years of management

In New Zealand, the endemic kaki or black stilt (Himantopus novaezelandiae) has been the focus of intensive conservation management for the past 20 years. Threatened by predation and habitat loss, the population fell to as low as 23 birds before management was implemented to reverse the decline. Predator trapping has been one form of management intervention in the wild, yet despite 20 years of control, there is only limited evidence to suggest that predator trapping is beneficial for the survival of kaki. Lack of adequate experimental design and understanding of the predator-prey dynamics in the system in which kaki live appear to be the main reasons why the benefits of predator control are not consistently clear. An adaptive management approach would have provided more information on the efficacy of predator trapping and increased understanding of the inter-relationships between kaki survival and predator abundance.     

Eubacterial communities in different soil macroaggregate environments and cropping systems

Different positions within soil macroaggregates, and macroaggregates of different sizes, have different chemical and physical properties which could affect microbial growth and interactions among taxa. The hypothesis that these soil aggregate fractions contain different eubacterial communities was tested using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) of the 16S ribosomal gene. Communities were characterized from two field experiments, located at the Kellogg Biological Station (KBS), MI, USA and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), Wooster, OH, USA. Three soil management regimes at each site were sampled and management was found to significantly affect T-RFLP profiles. The soil aggregate erosion (SAE) method was used to isolate aggregate regions (external and internal regions). Differences between eubacterial T-RFLP profiles of aggregate exteriors and interiors were marginally significant at KBS (accounting for 12.5% of total profile variance), and not significant at OARDC. There were no significant differences among macroaggregate size classes at either site. These results are in general agreement with previous studies using molecular methods to examine microbial communities among different soil macroaggregate size fractions, although further study of communities within different aggregate regions is warranted. Analysis of individual macroaggregates revealed large inter-aggregate variability in community structure. Hence the tertiary components of soil structure, e.g. arrangement of aggregates in relation to shoot residue, roots, macropores, etc., may be more important than aggregate size or intra-aggregate regions in the determination of the types of microbial communities present in aggregates. Direct microscopic counts were also used to examine the bacterial population size in aggregate regions at KBS. The proportion of bacterial cells with biovolumes >0.18 μm³ was higher in aggregate interiors than in exteriors, indicating potentially higher activity in that environment. This proportion was significantly related to percent C of the samples, while total bacterial cell counts were not.     

水稻强化栽培下不同氮肥管理对产量与氮素利用的影响

以籼型单季超级杂交稻中浙优1号为材料,研究水稻强化栽培氮肥管理对产量与氮素利用率的影响。结果表明:水稻强化栽培与常规栽培对照比较,增产达11.1%-15.2%,氮肥回收率比对照高5.3%~26.9%,农学利用率比对照高67.2%~92.2%,生理利用率比对照高6.0%~80.5%。因此,在水稻生产上应用水稻强化栽培可以提高氮肥的利用,降低氮肥在环境中积累及对环境造成污染。此外,本文对水稻强化栽培下氮肥管理的高产机理进行了探讨。     

Influence of wheat residue management on irrigated corn grain production in a reduced tillage system

Management of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) residues for corn (Zea mays L.) planting is an important issue in southern parts of Iran where these two irrigated crops are consecutively grown. Concerns have been raised in recent years over the burning of the crop residues by farmers in these areas. A 2-year (2001–2002) field experiment was conducted as a randomized complete block design with three replications. The treatments consisted of irrigated corn planted, after burning wheat residues followed by conventional tillage (CT), after residue removal followed by CT, after soil incorporation of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% of residue followed by chisel plow, disk harrow, and row crop planter equipped with row cleaner. The CT operations consisted of mollboard plowing followed by two times disk harrowing. Treatments had significant effects on corn grain yield, biological yield, and leaf area index. The highest grain yield (15.73 t ha⁻¹) and grains per ear (709.3) were obtained when 25–50% of wheat residues were soil incorporated and the seeds were sown with planter equipped with row cleaner in both years as compared with conventional tillage practices. It is recommended that complete residue removal or burning should be avoided; hence for successful corn production after wheat, residue management techniques that reduce residue level in the row area should be implemented.     

蚯蚓粪与化肥配施对西瓜地土壤活性有机碳及酶活性的影响

[目的]探讨蚯蚓粪与化肥配施对西瓜种植的作用,为土壤培肥制度的建立及西瓜生产提供参考。[方法]以"黑彤K-8"为试材,通过大田试验研究了N100(尿素提供100%的氮)、M10N90(蚯蚓粪和尿素分别提供10%和90%的氮)、M30N70(蚯蚓粪和尿素分别提供30%和70%的氮)和M50N50(蚯蚓粪和尿素各提供50%的氮)等不同处理对土壤活性有机碳、碳库管理指数(CPMI)、酶活性和西瓜产量的影响。[结果]同N100处理相比,配施蚯蚓粪处理的高活性、中活性和活性有机碳含量均明显升高;M30N70处理的活性有机碳含量和CPMI显著高于其他处理,比N100处理分别高出30.10%和37.28%;同时,脲酶和蔗糖酶活性亦明显高于其它处理,其中蔗糖酶活性分别较CK,N100,M10N90和M50N50处理提高84.66%,62.33%,47.26%和22.46%。此外,M30N70处理的西瓜产量和肥料生产率最高,它可使西瓜产量分别比N100,M10N90和M50N50处理高出26.49%,13.34%,6.27%;M30N70处理的肥料生产率分别比N100,M10N90和M50N50处理高出166.50%,54.11%,21.37%。相关分析结果表明,运用土壤活性有机碳和碳库管理指数表征土壤酶活性、西瓜产量及肥料生产率的变化,比土壤总有机碳更具灵敏性。[结论]蚯蚓粪与化肥配施对西瓜生长具有显著的促进生长效果,其中3∶7比例配施的效果优于1∶9和5∶5比例。     

Optimization of Farmyard Manure to Substitute Mineral Fertilizer for Sustainable Productivity and Higher Carbon Sequestration Potential and Profitability under Gardenpea-French Bean Cropping System in the Indian Himalayas

Carbon sequestration potential (CSP) and sustainability of gardenpea-french bean cropping system was assessed with farmyard manure (FYM) application vis-à-vis mineral fertilization as recommended NPK (NPK) and integrated nutrient management practices (INM) after six years’ cropping in Indian Himalayas. Application of 20 tons FYM ha^?1 provided highest CSP (0.527 Mg C ha^?1 year^?1) in soil and sustainability index. With the help of quadratic equations, it was estimated that maximum profit (optimum yield) and turn over of invested money could be achieved with application of 20.0 and 15.6 t FYM ha^?1, respectively. Application of 5.9 and 8.9 tons FYM ha^?1 would substitute NPK and INM, respectively. Pod number plant^?1 was the most important yield-contributing attribute as found from principal component analysis. Pod yield could be modelled through multiple linear equation with help of yield attributes.     

丘陵红壤橘园不同地面管理措施的经济生态效益研究

在丘陵红壤橘园上．经过3年6种地面管理措施的经济生态效益研究。结果表明：（1）水土流失，以清耕法作对照，生草法、克无踪、草甘膦、草草克、克克草的地表径流量可显著减少分别为38．8％．42．5％．18，7％，28．7％和37．5％；土壤侵蚀量可显著减少分别为55．5‰，51．7％．39．9％．46．8％和50．0％；流失的氮磷钾养分总量可分别减少60．3％．50．2％，37．0％．41．8％和45．4％。（2）杂草再生率，以生草法做对照，则处理中的清耕法、克无踪、草甘膦、草草克和克克草分别是生草法的55．1%．67．2％．30．3％．36．8％和51．2％。（3）土壤肥力，以土壤OM，N,P2O3,K2O总量增减率看，清耕法为-4．4%,生草法7．1％，克无踪6．9％，草甘膦5．3％．克克草6．2％．草草克6．6％。（4）柑橘的产量和品质，以清耕法作对照，除生草法外，克无踪、草甘膦、草草克、克克草均增产7％～10％；可溶性固形物、总糖量、总酸度、糖酸比以及单果重均达到显著差异水平。克无踪调控杂草效果显著．可作为丘陵红壤丘陵园地水保与培肥兼得的有效地面管理措施。     

Bat activity on riparian zones and upper slopes in Australian timber production forests and the effectiveness of riparian buffers

Unlogged buffers are used to ameliorate impacts to riparian areas in timber production forests. One function of these buffers is to protect the biodiversity of riparian areas. We measured bat activity in buffered streams with ultrasonic detectors across four different stream orders in logged, regrowth and mature forests (60 sites). Bat activity, foraging rates and species richness were similar in buffered streams surrounded by logged, regrowth and mature forests, suggesting that riparian areas effectively provide habitat for foraging and commuting bats in selectively logged forests. Vespadelus pumilus was the only species that responded to logging history, with decreased activity in mature forests. We found higher activity on larger rather than smaller order streams, a pattern also not affected by logging history. Bat activity along paired forest trail flyways on upper slopes (60 sites) was measured simultaneously with riparian flyway activity (for a total of 120 sites) to determine the importance of riparian areas relative to other available flyways. Activity was higher on upper slopes than on small streams, but similar to levels on larger streams. Total foraging activity was similar between riparian zones and upper slopes. Upper slopes contained higher species diversity, with Chalinolobus gouldii, Miniopterus schreibersii, Mormopterus norfolkensis, Scotorepens sp., Vespadelus pumilus and, to a lesser extent, Vespadelus darlingtoni detected more often than along streams. Other species (Rhinolophus megaphyllus, Nyctophilus spp. and Miniopterus australis) were not affected by topography. Estimates of total vegetation cover and, in particular, rainforest cover, were negatively associated with bat activity, highlighting the need for management of forest ‘clutter’ in regrowth forests for a suite of bat species. Streams and forest trails provide areas of lower clutter, which assist in maintaining high species diversity in regrowth forests. Our results support the use of riparian buffers, and point to the need for greater recognition of tracks on upper slopes as important habitat.     

资源型城市可持续发展指标体系的重塑

根据不同资源型城市在不同发展阶段、资源禀赋特征的差异，结合现存的资源型城市可持续发展指标体系，重塑了动态的、个性与共性相统一的资源型城市可持续发展指标体系，并探讨了几种具体实用的评价方法，以此评价资源型城市可持续发展与转型效果。