Cities vs countryside: An example of a science-based peri-urban landscape features rehabilitation in Milan (Italy)

Urban-rural boundaries are often abrupt and unmitigated, a trait that significantly enhances their ecological vulnerability. Nonetheless, such fringe systems enclose a high potential in furnishing buffering and resilience functions and services towards the city. Our study intends to give a contribution on the understanding of the ecological behaviour of peri-urban landscape features (PLFs) systems, showing how floristic-vegetational and landscape ecology studies can inform their multi-functional phytocoenoses ecological reconfiguring. Analyses were led among a fringe context of Milan city. An agri-environmental extra-local scale analysis framed the forthcoming finer scale results. Landscape mosaic structural and functional main traits were interpreted, outlining a current impairment of the landscape system capacity to support ecological functions across the area. In parallel, floristic traits were studied through chorological, life forms and Ellenberg’s ecogram analysis (total flora and single sub-areas values). The main phytocoenoses types were qualitatively described and related to the dynamic patterns of reference vegetation series. Results highlighted a significant deterioration of floristic-vegetational traits, if compared to the local potential. Recurrent anthropic disturbances, open space conditions were identified as the major impact factor on phytoconoeses evolution towards higher diversity, complexity and stability traits. Spontaneous recolonization processes were acknowledged as currently unable to change these trends, while past reforestation interventions showed positive effects. These results informed the building of a functional-dynamic interpretative approach, focused on the ecological roles and physical habitat conditions currently influencing phytocoenoses dynamics, and on which to intervene. Accordingly, the current and potential ecological functions of 9 key PLFs categories were inspected. Consequently, design criterions for corrective interventions were outlined. This brought to the identification of the optimal structural and functional patterns of PLFs to be integrated throughout the urban-rural boundary, as well as their floristic-vegetational design specificities, by pursuing a rebalancing effect on the peri-urban agroecosystem inner complexity and environmental stability parameters.     

Artificial developed habitats can sustain plant communities similar to remnant ecosystems in the Tokyo megacity

Artificially developed habitats in urban ecosystems, known as novel ecosystems, have recently been underscored in terms of increasing urban green cover. However, patterns of changes in species diversity and composition in novel ecosystems over time remain poorly understood, making it unclear whether all novel ecosystems contribute to urban biodiversity. Here, we assessed how plant species diversity and composition in developed habitats changed over the years since the development of habitats (years since development) using a space-for-time substitution approach in the megacity, Tokyo, Japan. We established multiple survey transects at each study site to investigate the plant species diversity and composition. Using the ordination regression-based approach, we found that the plant species composition in developed habitats changed over the years since development and became similar to that in remnant habitats after approximately 130 years. We also found that the diversity of native plant species did not change whereas that of exotic species decreased with the years since development. Our results demonstrate the importance of developing new habitats for conserving urban biodiversity, while highlighting that exotic species can easily establish in newly developed habitats. Given that remnant ecosystems in urban areas are degraded by urbanization, the time required for novel ecosystems to become similar to remnant ecosystems is essential for predicting and conserving future urban ecosystems.     

五台山高山、亚高山草甸植物种分布的环境梯度分析和种组划分

通过野外植被调查,结合景观尺度生境因子的测定与模拟,运用CCA排序分析研究区内高山、亚高山草甸地段植物物种分布与环境因子之间的定量关系,综合TWINSPAN分类结果对五台山高寒草甸植物种进行了生态种组划分。结果表明：1)五台山的高山、亚高山草甸分布地段,温度和太阳辐射是控制着草甸植物种分布的关键因子;2)依据草甸物种在CCA排序图上的分布位置,划分出高山冷干型、高山冷湿型、亚高山典型种、亚高山凉干型、亚高山凉湿型、山地暖干型和山地暖湿型几类物种,可以较好地指示研究区的生境特征;3)TWINSPAN划分结果与CCA 划分的生态种组比较吻合。     

Microhabitat preferences of butterflies in urban parks: Both vegetation structure and resources are decisive

Urban parks comprise diverse microhabitats, such as vegetation units of lawn and arbour forests, with differing biodiversity potentials. However, the influences of microhabitats on butterfly diversity and the mechanisms involved remain unclear. This study used butterfly survey data from 112 plots in 27 urban parks in the central metropolitan area of Beijing, China, from June to September 2020. Based on the growth form of larval host plants, recorded butterfly species were classified into three functional groups: woody plant-feeding taxa (WF), herb-feeding taxa (HF), and feeding on multiple plant growth forms taxa (MF). We analysed the effects of 11 variables among three facets, namely, vegetation composition, vegetation structure, and human activity, on the butterfly diversity (species richness and abundance) of the whole community, three functional groups using generalised linear mixed models. Twenty-five butterfly species observed mainly feed on herbs rather than on woody plants. Our results demonstrated that vegetation community characteristics explain up to 24% and 43% variation in butterfly species richness and abundance, respectively. Of this, vegetation structure facets crucially affected butterfly species richness, and vegetation composition facets had the most significant influence on the abundance of the whole butterfly community. However, the impact of human activity factors was minimal. Light availability and herb height belonging to vegetation structure factors and nectar plant species richness and nectar abundance which belonged to vegetation composition factors showed the most important and positive effects on butterfly diversity. The positive impact of the above significant factors was found especially on herb-feeding butterfly diversity. In contrast, the diversity of butterflies feeding on woody plants was most positively influenced by herb height. We thus suggest that it is necessary to guarantee the presence of a well-developed herb layer, which provides abundant nectar sources and maintain specific open spaces to ensure light availability. In conclusion, our findings imply that the critical role of the spatial structure of vegetation community is conspicuous in the formation of suitable microhabitats for butterflies, and managers could combine vegetation management practices with the needs of specific functional groups.     

凉山雷波马湖莼菜资源的保护与开发利用

在调查雷波马湖莼菜原产地气候、水文等生态环境条件及种植现状的基础上,分析了雷波马湖莼菜开发利用的优势和存在的问题,雷波马湖莼菜资源拥有自然条件优越、品质优良、开发基础良好、开发潜力巨大等优势,也存在原生境退化、经济基础薄弱、规模低下、科研投入不足等问题,从完善监管体系、加强原生境保护、加大科研力度和科技示范带动等方面提出了推进雷波县马湖莼菜资源保护和开发利用的策略。     

坝上生态农业工程生态效益监测与评价研究

利用遥感技术、地理信息系统和全球定位系统对河北坝上实施生态农业工程建设后的生态效益进行了监测与评价。定量描述了坝上生态环境的动态变化趋势，并对坝上生态农业工程的气候效益、土壤改良效益、农业水文生态效益进行了分析与评价。研究结果表明，通过工程治理，使农业生态系统的功能增强，结构合理，取得了显著的生态效益。     

东北不同生态条件对大豆杂交后代的选择效应

以５个大豆杂交组合的Ｆ２－Ｆ５代为材料，连续４年在东北三省８个试验点按当地的高产育种目标进行选择，于Ｆ５代每个地点从每一组合中决选出１个高产品系，各地共计决选出４０个优良品系，并在上术８上地点以同一方案进行两年生态试验，以便分析生产条件对大豆杂交后代的选择效应。试验结果表明，在不同生态条件下，各地都选出了适合当地生态条件的生育期类型；在不同肥力条件下，各地都选出了适合当地生态条件的百粒重和抗倒伏性     

Response of Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] Cultivars to Genistein-Preincubated Bradyrhizobium japonicum: Nodulation and Dry Matter Accumulation under Canadian Short-Season Conditions

The addition of genistein, a plant-to-bacteria signal molecule, to Bradyrhizobium japonicum cells prior to use as inocula has been shown to increase nodule number and promote soybean N₂ fixation at low root zone temperatures. Previous greenhouse and field experiments involving only two cultivars have indicated that soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivars can vary in their response to genistein application. The objective of this study was to evaluate a range of soybean cultivars for response to genistein application under short-season cool-spring Canadian conditions. A 2-year field study was conducted in 1997 and 1998 with a range of soybean cultivars recommended for Quebec. The 11 cultivars tested represented a range of yield potentials and maturity groups. They were inoculated with genistein-preincubated B. japonicum inocula or regular inocula, applied into the furrow at the time of planting. The results of these experiments indicated that neither maturity nor yield was correlated with increases in nodulation, biomass, and plant total nitrogen content resulting from genistein treatment and that all maturity groups responded to genistein application in essentially the same way. Thus, response of soybean cultivars to genistein addition is regulated by genotype characteristics other than maturity or yield level.     

中国大豆品种熟期组划分的研究

根据北美13个熟期组大豆代表品种48份及我国各地地方品种256份在南京春播自然条件结合18小时长光照条件的试验,部分品种在石家庄、哈尔滨的春播试验,获得以下主要结果：(1)将我国大豆品种归属为相应的000～Ⅸ共12个熟期组,未发现熟期组Ⅹ品种;(2)按同一熟期组品种生育前期变异的地理分布,0～Ⅲ熟期组内各划分为秦岭淮河     

池州市生态农业建设研究

池州市是中国第一个生态经济示范区,也是“生态安徽”建设试点市,生态农业建设在该市生态经济建设当中具有重要的地位和意义。文章从气候资源、土地资源、自然灾害、农村经济结构、生态农业建设基础等方面对池州生态农业建设条件进行了分析,比较深入地探讨了立体生态农业模式、以沼气为纽带的“猪-沼-粮（鱼、果、茶、菜、药等）”生态农业模式、以小流域综合治理为重点的生态恢复与重建模式、观光生态农业开发模式、庭院生态农业模式等五种池州生态农业发展模式,最后提出了池州市生态农业的发展措施,即：（1）提高认识,加强领导;（2）广辟财源,增加投入;（3）因地制宜,科学规划;（4）依靠科技,加快发展。