河滨缓冲带植物根系和根际微生物特征及其对农业面源污染物去除效果

对河滨缓冲带常见的3种水生植物根系形态特点、活力特征及其土壤微生物群落多样性进行了研究,并对其农业面源污染物的去除效果进行了调查。结果表明,3种水生植物根系形态和活力特征具有显著差异。根系活力表现为水生鸢尾菖蒲千屈菜,与根尖数呈显著相关。同时,3种水生植物具有显著的根际效益,根际土壤微生物生物量显著高于非根际土壤;根际土壤微生物群落数量为细菌放线菌真菌;土壤微生物群落多样性指数为水生鸢尾菖蒲千屈菜,这与3种水生植物根系活力特征表现一致。3种水生植物河滨缓冲区对农业面源污染物TN、TP和CODCr的去除效果表现为水生鸢尾菖蒲千屈菜。说明不同水生植物根系结构导致根系活力不同,由此引起的土壤微生物群落多样性差异对水生植物农业面源污染物去除效果有一定影响。     

Influence of a riparian wetland on nitrate and herbicides exported from an agricultural field

Agrochemicals are a major source of nonpoint pollution. Forested corridors along stream channels (riparian zones) are thought to be potential sites for removal of agricultural contaminants from ground and surface waters. First-order riparian wetlands are reputed to be especially effective at groundwater remediation. The study site is a fairly typical (for eastern Maryland) small, first-order stream in an agricultural watershed. Preferential flow supplies most of the stream water within the riparian headwater wetland. This upstream area also contains the highest average stream N and pesticide loads in the entire first-order riparian system. Zones of active groundwater emergence onto the surface display high concentrations of nitrate throughout the soil profile and in the exfiltrating water, whereas inactive areas (where there is no visible upwelling) show rapid attenuation of nitrate with decreasing depths. Atrazine degradation products appear to penetrate more readily through the most active upwelling zones, and there is a correlation between zones of high nitrate and high atrazine metabolite levels. Deethylatrazine/atrazine ratios (DAR) seem to indicate that stream flow is dominated by ground water and that much of the ground water may have reached the stream via preferential flow. Remediative processes appear to be very complex, heterogeneous, and variable in these systems, so additional research is needed before effective formulation and application of riparian zone initiatives and guidelines can be accomplished.     

Temporal and spatial patterns of denitrification enzyme activity and nitrous oxide fluxes in three adjacent vegetated riparian buffer zones

The aim of this study was to investigate temporal and spatial patterns of denitrification enzyme activity (DEA) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) fluxes in three adjacent riparian sites (mixed vegetation, forest and grass). The highest DEA was found in the surface (0–30 cm) soil and varied between 0.7±0.1 mg N kg^–1 day^–1 at 5°C and 5.9±0.4 mg N kg^–1 day^–1 at 15°C. There was no significant difference (P >0.05) between the DEA in the uppermost (0–30 cm and 60–90 cm) soil depths under different vegetation covers. In the two deepest (120–150 cm and 180–210 cm) soil depths the DEA varied between 0.0±0.0 mg N kg^–1 day^–1 at 5°C and 4.4±0.9 mg N kg^–1 day^–1 at 15°C and was clearly associated with the accumulation of buried organic carbon (OC). Two threshold values of OC were observed before DEA started to increase significantly, namely 5 and 25 g OC kg^–1 soil at 10–15°C and 5°C, respectively. In the three riparian sites N₂O fluxes varied between a net N₂O uptake of –0.6±0.4 mg N₂O-N m^–2 day^–1 and a net N₂O emission of 2.5±0.3 mg N₂O-N m^–2 day^–1. The observed N₂O emission did not lead to an important pollution swapping (from water pollution to greenhouse gas emission). Especially in the mixed vegetation and forest riparian site highest N₂O fluxes were observed upslope of the riparian site. The N₂O fluxes showed no clear temporal trend.     

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.     

Patch and landscape characteristics associated with the distribution of woodland amphibians in an agricultural fragmented landscape: an information-theoretic approach

In the Midwestern United States, agricultural landscapes with scattered patches of fragmented forest are common. To investigate the relationship between amphibian distributions and wetland, woodlot, and landscape characteristics, we studied the pond-breeding amphibians within a 15,450-ha plot in rural north-central Ohio. We surveyed 25 woodlots and one area of continuous riparian forest for amphibians, and each surveyed woodland contained at least one temporary wetland. We used Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) to evaluate the effectiveness of 13 a priori models in predicting total amphibian species richness, anuran richness, caudate richness, and the presence of individual species in woodlots. We identified 13 species of amphibians within the study plot, and every woodlot contained at least one amphibian species. The most important variable in predicting total amphibian and anuran species richness was hydroperiod. For caudates, woodlot edge-to-area ratio, hydroperiod, pH, and ammonia were important characteristics in predicting species richness. Woodlots within agricultural landscapes are important refuges for amphibians.     

The extent and pattern of Eucalyptus regeneration in an agricultural landscape

The process of natural regeneration is critical for sustaining remnant native vegetation and the ecosystem services it supports. We quantified the extent and pattern of Eucalyptus regeneration within remnant vegetation in a fragmented agricultural landscape in south-eastern Australia. Eucalyptus regeneration was absent at 42% of sites. Using an information-theoretic approach, we explored 13 possible models of Eucalyptus regeneration across multiple scales. The explanatory variables in the four models with empirical support (and their summed Akaike weights) were: grazing intensity (1.0), native ground cover (0.99), remnant area (0.83), tenure (0.67), canopy cover (0.21) and vegetation type (0.11). Averaging across these four models we predicted that the probability of Eucalyptus regeneration was highest (0.95) in relatively unmodified remnant native vegetation, that is, remnant vegetation on public land where grazing was light and the understorey was dominated by native plants. In contrast, the predicted probability of Eucalyptus regeneration was lowest (0.12) in small remnants on private land where grazing was heavy. Our results suggest that a large proportion of all remnant native vegetation in this landscape will disappear under existing land management and farming practices. Reducing grazing pressure within intensively grazed remnants appears to be the single most effective management intervention that will mitigate this threat. This will require a shift in conservation priorities away from large, intact remnants where regeneration does not appear to be affected, to poorer quality remnants—often small remnants or scattered trees—where regeneration is typically absent.     

Evaluating cost-effectiveness of conservation management actions in an agricultural landscape on a regional scale

Agricultural landscapes are the dominating landscape types in many parts of the world. Land-use intensification and spatial homogeneity are major threats to biodiversity in these landscapes. Thus cost-effective strategies for species conservation in large-scale agricultural landscapes are required. Spatial optimisation methods can be applied to identify the most effective allocation of a given budget for conservation. However, the optimisation of spatial land-use patterns in real landscapes on a large spatial scale is often limited by computational power. In this paper, we present a simplifying methodology for analysing cost-effectiveness of management actions on a regional scale. A spatially explicit optimisation approach is employed to identify optimum agricultural land-use patterns with respect to an ecological-economic goal function. Based on the optimisation results for small scale landscape samples we derive a target- and site-specific cost-benefit function that can be applied to predict ecological improvement as a function of costs and local conditions on a large spatial scale. Thus, it is possible to identify areas where management actions for ecological improvement are most efficient with respect to a certain conservation goal. The fitted function is validated independently. In a case study, we analyse cost-effectiveness of management actions to enhance habitat suitability for three different target species. The approach is flexible and could be applied to a variety of other landscape planning problems dealing with the effective allocation of management measures.     

Observations of dew amount using in situ and satellite measurements in an agricultural landscape

Estimating the amount of water on leaf surfaces is an increasing concern for remote sensing and hydrology. Measuring the magnitude and spatial extent of leaf wetness events will provide useful information for water and energy balance modeling and remote sensing. As part of the Soil Moisture Experiments 2005 (SMEX05), the temporal and spatial characterization of leaf wetness over a heterogeneous agricultural domain was investigated. Leaf wetness sensors and physical measurements were collected from 15 June to 3 July 2005 in and around the Walnut Creek Watershed near Ames, Iowa, USA. Comparison of the results of the in situ leaf wetness sensor measurements and the physical sampling revealed a moderate correlation for both corn (Zea mays L.) and soybeans (Glycine max Merr.). Regression equations were developed to estimate leaf wetness quantity from these leaf wetness sensors and combined with a vegetation leaf area index map to produce a spatial leaf wetness product hourly during the experiment with an error of approximately 0.05 kg/(m² LAI). Using this strategy, future efforts in spatial hydrologic modeling and remote sensing would be able to incorporate quantitative estimates of leaf wetness amount in watershed scale studies using only in situ measurements.     

Factors maintaining species diversity in satoyama, a traditional agricultural landscape of Japan

Satoyama is a traditional agricultural landscape in Japan. It contains many kinds of organisms, including endangered species. Satoyama is composed of several habitat types, including paddy fields, secondary forests, secondary grasslands, ponds, and streams. High species richness has been sustained in most habitats by anthropogenic disturbances of intermediate impact, mainly activities related to agriculture. The variety of habitats and connectivity among them have contributed to the high species diversity within satoyama. These factors allow organisms to move among habitats and use different habitat types to obtain different resources. The connectivity among habitats is often more vulnerable than the specific habitats themselves under anthropogenic influences. In satoyama, species that require connectivity among habitats (e.g., grey-faced buzzard [Butastur indicus] and Genji firefly [Luciola cruciata]) have tended to decrease. The grey-faced buzzard is categorized as a “vulnerable” species in the Japanese Red List. It usually nests in forest trees and forages in habitats such as paddy fields, grasslands, and forests. Its foraging locations shift seasonally depending on food availability. It is thought that the degradation of either paddy fields or forests in a landscape may result in the disappearance of this species. The Genji firefly spends its larval period in stream water, pupates underground along streams, and flies near streams after emergence. This species requires not only the integrity of streams and nearby areas, but also connectivity between these areas. The ecology of these species suggests that the variety of habitats and connectivity among them are critical factors for their survival.     

Detecting zones of abrupt change in soil data, with an application to an agricultural field

We propose a new method for estimating and testing the zones where a variable has discontinuities or sharp changes in the mean. Such zones are called Zones of Abrupt Change (ZACs). Our method is based on the statistical properties of the estimated gradient of the variable. The local gradient is first interpolated by kriging. Then we test whether the estimated local gradient exceeds some critical threshold computed under the null hypothesis of a constant mean. The locations where the local test is rejected define the potential ZACs, which are then tested globally. Using this method, we analysed soil data from an agricultural field. The analysis of the main soil components of the ploughed layer (clay, silt and sand particles and calcium carbonate content) reveals the structural variations in the field, linked to boundaries between soil types. Its application to non‐permanent variables (soil water and mineral nitrogen content of the soil profile to 120 cm taken at several dates) shows that water content has the same ZACs for all dates, whereas mineral nitrogen has none.     

农业信息化的发展特征与现代农业园区信息化建设

农业信息化是运用信息技术的最新成果装备现代农业,促进农业持续发展的过程。网络化、全程化、综合化、产业化是农业信息化的发展特征。农业信息化建设已成为现代农业园区建设的重要内容和创新领域。应当采取有力的措施解决现代农业园区在信息化建设过程中,经费投入不足、技术人才缺乏以及信息技术的应用脱离实际等突出问题,能够使现代农业园区的信息化建设水平向更高的层次发展。     

Effects of agricultural landscape and pesticides on parasitism in native bullfrogs

Native amphibian populations are shrinking worldwide, and both parasitic infections and environmental stress from agriculture have been implicated. We investigated the principal hypothesis that environmental by-products of agricultural activity mediate parasitism in native frogs. Bullfrogs were collected from wetlands with variable landscape disturbance and water quality and examined for helminth parasites. We predicted that pesticide pollution and landscape development would be significant factors shaping the parasite communities and populations. Parasite diversity and species richness were lower in wetlands impacted by both pesticides and land use. Two parasite groups, direct life-cycle nematodes and echinostomes, were common in polluted habitats, potentially increasing frog pathology and mortality risk. In areas with agricultural landscape and reduced forest cover, parasite diversity and species richness were low, perhaps because of less parasite transmission from birds and mammals. This result suggests that land development limits terrestrial vertebrate access to wetlands. Our results indicate that parasite abundance and community structure in wetlands are influenced by factors operating locally within the wetland and more broadly in the surrounding landscape. We suggest that parasite communities in amphibians are effective indicators of ecosystem health and animal biodiversity, and thus useful tools for conservation biology.     

Bird communities in small woods in an agricultural landscape: Effects of area and isolation

The distribution of breeding bird species in 68 small woodlots in two areas of agricultural landscape was investigated. Effects of area, habitat variation, interpatch distance, and distance from extensive woods were analysed with the help of multivariate techniques. No correlation was found between number of breeding bird species and isolation variables, but the degree of isolation was shown to affect the number of bird species restricted to mature woods. Species showed different responses to changes of area or isolation variables. It is concluded that, for several species of woodland birds, patches of mature woodland can be regarded as habitat islands. Some indications are given to apply the regression models found to landscape planning.     

Patchy environments and species survival: Chipmunks in an agricultural mosaic

Chipmunks were studied in woods separated by farmland and connected by fencerows. Local extinctions of chipmunks from individual woods were readily recolonised by animals from other patches. Fencerows formed critical connections among woods. A minimum area for considering population survival includes several woods and interconnecting fencerows. Such landscape mosaics should be the elementary units in much conservation planning and management.     

沈阳地区河岸植被缓冲带对氮、磷的削减效果研究

为充分了解河岸植被缓冲带对地表径流污染物的去除效果, 本研究选取辽宁省沈阳市两条典型河流——浑河与蒲河为对象, 研究其滨水不同河岸植被缓冲带对地表径流氮、磷污染物的削减效果。结果表明: 在6 种河岸植被带中, 人工林草地对氮的削减效果最好, 对总氮、硝态氮和铵态氮的平均削减率分别为47%、36%和31%; 人工林地对磷的削减效果较好, 平均削减率为74%; 而人工林地对氮以及人工草地对磷的削减效果较差。随长度增加, 河岸植被缓冲带对地表径流污染物的削减效果基本呈增强趋势。以上研究结果说明不同河岸植被缓冲带对地表径流中氮、磷的削减各有优点。在对遭受污染的河流进行生态修复时, 应考虑环境污染特点和地表特征, 以充分发挥河岸植被缓冲带对污染物的削减优势。     

无菌砂培条件下三种农作物对甘氨酸的吸收

Seedlings of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L.) and mung bean (Phaseolus radiatus L.) were grown for 30 days in sterile sand media with 6 N treatments, I.e. NH4+-N, glycine-N, 3 different ratios of glycine-N:NH4+-N (NH4+-N was labeled with 15N) and a control receiving no N, to assess the importance of amino acids in excessive N nutrition along with inorganic N interactions. The contribution of nitrogen derived from glycine-N to total plant N was investigated. The total plant N of the three species treated with N was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than the control treatment. Also, seedlings from all the three species had significantly more total N as NH4+-N (P < 0.05) than at least two of the four treatments with glycine-N. However, for all species, differences in total N among treatments with a mixture of glycine-N and NH4+-N were mostly not significant. The contribution of N derived from glycine-N to plant total N content for all species increased with increasing glycine-N:NH4+-N ratio in the treatment solution. These results indicated that agricultural plants could effectively use organic nitrogen from organic nitrogen sources (e.g. glycine) and from organic and inorganic N mixtures (e.g. a glycine-N and NH4+-N mix). There were also genotypic differences in glycine-N and NH4+-N uptake by agricultural species.     

农业景观异质性对生物多样性及其 生态系统服务的影响

农业景观中生物多样性具有特殊重要的意义,本文首先综述了农业景观异质性的组成和特征。农业景观的异质性不仅包括空间组成和构型异质性以及时间异质性,更应包括基于物种或功能类群认识的农业景观功能异质性,这对于讨论景观异质性与生物多样性的关系十分关键。纵览景观空间异质性和时间异质性对生物多样性的多尺度影响发现,很多研究证实非农生境对于维持农业景观中生物多样性十分必要,由非农生境斑块和农田基质组成异质性较高的农业景观往往促进生物多样性,不同生物类群对景观异质性的响应尺度不同。景观结构和种间作用的复合影响是异质性农业景观维持生物多样性的机制。景观异质性通过生物多样性的组成和分布进而影响其提供的生物控制、授粉和物质循环等生态系统服务。结合黄河中下游平原农业景观异质性特征及其对生物多样性影响系列研究结果,在联产承包责任制下小田块管理的农业景观中,未来相关研究应基于功能景观的时空异质性深入讨论农业景观对生物多样性及其生态系统服务的影响机制,为可持续农业景观的构建提供科学依据。     

Cross-taxon congruence of species diversity and community similarity among three insect taxa in a mosaic landscape

Surrogate taxa as indicators for biodiversity are widely used in conservation biology and ecology. However, available studies on the congruence of species diversity patterns in different taxa yielded inconsistent results, and correlations between taxa were few. To conserve or restore biodiversity in agricultural landscapes, knowledge on the response of different taxa to management regimes is crucial. In the present study we evaluated the congruence of diversity and similarity patterns among three insect taxa, i.e., bees, grasshoppers, and aculeate wasps, in a mosaic landscape in the Swiss Alps comprising extensively used grassland under different management regimes. In addition, we studied the influence of land use on the diversity and species composition of the three taxa. While species numbers were not significantly correlated between any pair of taxa, community similarities were positively correlated between bees and grasshoppers. The number of red-listed species was not correlated with the total number of species in bees and in grasshoppers. None of the investigated taxa reflected the species numbers or community similarities of the other taxa well enough to qualify as a general indicator for biodiversity. Remarkably, land use clearly influenced species composition, while its effect on species numbers was not significant. All management regimes of the grassland in the study area contribute substantially to the overall diversity of the three insect taxa. Conserving the variety of agricultural land uses will be the most promising step towards the conservation of biodiversity in the study area.     

A comparison of constructed and natural habitat for frog conservation in an Australian agricultural landscape

Constructed ponds are an important consideration in the conservation of wetland biota in agricultural landscapes. Twenty-two natural ponds and 22 adjacent constructed ponds (farm dams) were surveyed on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales to compare patterns of use by frogs and develop frog conservation recommendations. Farm dams supported similar numbers of frog species to natural ponds, although differences in frog assemblage were observed between the pond types. Limnodynastes tasmaniensis and Uperolia laevigata were significantly more likely to occur at farm dams while L. peronii was more likely to occur at natural ponds. Results suggest waterbodies with high levels of emergent vegetation cover that lack fish are likely to support a high number of frog species, regardless of origin (i.e. natural or constructed). However, it is important for landholders to conserve natural waterbodies as these environments appear likely to support frog species that do not use farm dams.     

Amphibian pond loss as a function of landscape change – A case study over three decades in an agricultural area of northern France

Agricultural reform and infrastructural development are among the major drivers of biodiversity loss and landscape homogenization worldwide. Ponds and other small stagnant water bodies are crucial for maintaining regional biodiversity, yet they are vulnerable to human induced landscape change. We investigated for 199 ponds in the ‘département’ Pas-de-Calais in north-western France if pond persistence (n = 86, 43%) or disappearance (n = 113, 57%) was related to wider changes in the landscape, over the period 1975–2006. Landscape data were obtained from aerial photographs (1963), two ASTER satellite images (2001 and 2003) and observations on the ground (1975 and 2006) and land use around the ponds was described over concentric circles with five different radii in the 100–1000 m range. Overall, pond disappearance was associated with a decrease in grassland and an increase in arable fields around the ponds. We found that the small, man-made cattle ponds, with either natural substrate or concrete drinking troughs, were more often affected than the larger, semi-natural ponds. Since the cattle ponds are regularly used for amphibian reproduction, their massive abandonment therewith weakens the population network and puts the local occurrence of some of the rarer species at risk. Spatial extrapolation of models on pond persistence allowed the identification of areas most at risk of further pond loss. We suggest that local amphibian conservation efforts will be the most effective if the focus is on the marshes and dune areas and on pond preservation in the remaining grasslands.