Scale of heterogeneity of forage production and winter foraging by elk and bison

The relationship between fine-scale spatial patterns of forage abundance and the feeding patterns of large ungulates is not well known. We compared these patterns for areas grazed in winter by elk and bison in a sagebrush-grassland landscape in northern Yellowstone National Park. At a fine scale, the spatial distribution of mapped feeding stations in 30 m × 30 m sites was found to be random where there were no large patches devoid of vegetation. In areas similar to the mapped sites, the underlying spatial distribution pattern of biomass was also determined to be random. At a broad scale, forage biomass differed among communities across the northern range but forage quality did not. These results suggest that ungulates are feeding randomly within forage patches (fine scale) but may select feeding sites based upon forage abundance at broader, landscape scales. Contrary to what has been suggested in other systems, ungulates were not overmatching at finer scales.     

Comparison of the effects of salicylic acid and ethephon with virus-induced hypersensitivity and acquired resistance in tobacco

The induction of a hypersensitive reaction in Samsun NN tobacco by tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) at 20°C leads to the development of both localized and systemic acquired resistance, and is associated with the appearance of pathogenesis-related proteins (PR's) and large increases in peroxidase activity and ethylene production. Salicylic acid (SA) induced a similar resistance in treated plant parts and occasionally also in untreated upper leaves of plants of which three lower leaves had been injected. SA also induced the same four PR's, but these were confined to the treated leaves. Thus, the connection between the presence of PR's and the reduction of TMV multiplication and spread may not be direct.In contrast to TMV, SA did not stimulate ethylene production and hardly increased peroxidase activity. Induction of acquired resistance and PR's by SA developed equally well at 20°C and at 32°C. However, pricking leaves with needles moistened with the ethylene-releasing compound ethephon mimicked TMV infection in inducing acquired resistance and PR's in both treated and untreated leaves at 20°C, but not at 32°C. Ethephon increased peroxidase activity at both temperatures, but only at 20°C dit it induce changes in both the anodic and the cathodic isoenzymes that were similar to those induced as a result of TMV infection. SA induced PR's and reduced TMV multiplication in Samsun tobacco, and inhibited virus spread in Samsun NN at 32°C.These observation indicate that neither the induction of PR's, nor the development of acquired resistance is temperature-sensitive. On the other hand, the effects of ethephon are temperature-sensitive in the same way as the hypersensitive response to TMV. It can thus be hypothesized that ethylene, produced naturally during the hypersensitive reaction of tobacco to TMV, leads to the temperature-sensitive synthesis or release of a presumably benzoic acid-type compound that functions as the natural inducer of PR's and acquired resistance. Although vanillic acid has been shown to accumulate in hypersensitively reacting tobacco leaves, it produced none of the effects of SA, and thus cannot be the natural inducer.Samenvatting Inductie van een overgevoeligheidsreactie in Samsun NN-tabak door tabaksmozaïekvirus (TMV) bij 20°C leidt tot de ontwikkeling van een verworven resistentie die zowel lokaal als systemisch werkzaam is, en gaat samen met het verschijnen van pathogenesis-related proteins (PR's) en sterke toename in de activitieit van peroxidase en de produktie van ethyleen. Salicylzuur (SA) induceerde een vergelijkbare resistentie in behandelde plantedelen en af en toe ook in niet behandelde bovenbladeren van planten waarvan drie onderbladeren waren ingespoten. SA induceerde ook dezelfde vier PR's, maar deze waren beperkt tot de behandelde bladeren. Er bestaat dus geen directe samenhang tussen de aanwezigheid van PR's en de remming van de vermeerdering en uitbreiding van TMV in de plant.In tegenstelling tot TMV stimuleerde SA de ethyleenproduktie niet en verhoogde het de peroxidaseactiviteit nauwelijks. Inductie van verworven resistentie en PR's door SA trad even goed op bij 32°C als bij 20°C. Net als infectie met TMV leidde aanprikken van bladeren met naalden die gedoopt waren in een oplossing van ethefon — waaruit in het blad ethyleen vrijkomt — echter tot inductie van verworven resistentie en PR's in zowel behandelde als onbehandelde bladeren bij 20°C, maar niet bij 32°C. Ethefon verhoogde de peroxidaseactiviteit bij beide temperaturen, maar alleen bij 20°C induceerde het veranderingen in zowel de anodische als de kathodische isoënzymen die vergelijkbaar waren met die welke geïnduceerd werden als gevolg van infectie met TMV. SA induceerde PR's en verminderde de vermenigvuldiging van TMV in Samsun tabak, en remde de uitbreiding van het virus in Samsun NN bij 32°C.Deze waarnemingen tonen dat noch de inductie van PR's, noch de ontwikkeling van verworven resistentie een temperatuurgevoelig proces is. Daarentegen zijn de effecten van ethefon op dezelfde wijze temperatuurgevoelig als de overgevoeligheidsreactie op TMV. Men kan daarom veronderstellen dat ethyleen, dat op natuurlijke wijze geproduceerd wordt tijdens de overgevoeligheidsreactie van tabak op TMV, aanleiding geeft tot een temperatuurgevoelig proces, namelijk de synthese of het vrijkomen van een verbinding, vermoedelijk een benzoëzuurderivaat, dat fungeert als de natuurlijke inductor van PR's en verworven resistentie. Hoewel is aangetoond dat vanillinezuur zich ophoopt in overgevoelig reagerende tabaksbladeren, veroorzaakte deze verbinding geen enkel van de effecten van SA. Vanillinezuur kan dus niet de natuurlijke inductor zijn.     

园林布局中必然性和偶然性要素的辩识与运用

阐释了园林构成要素中的必然性要素和偶然性要素及其相互关系与运用意义；以昆明世博园中“齐鲁园”为例，辩识了“齐鲁园”中必然性与偶然性园林要素，分析了诸要素在特定园林环境布局中的运用。     

The effects of agricultural fields and human settlements on the use of rivers by wildlife in the mid-Zambezi valley,Zimbabwe

After the eradication of the Tse-Tse fly in the Mid-Zambezi valley, human settlements and fields extended mainly along the main rivers. In order to investigate the consequences of this human development on wildlife diversity we monitored three rivers of the Mid-Zambezi valley in Zimbabwe: Angwa, Manyame and Kadzi. The rivers were divided in segments of 200 m which were checked for spoors in order to assess the number of species and the number of individuals that used the segments. Human settlements were also recorded. We used a GIS to define the spatial characteristics of the fields present along the rivers, and related them to the distribution and abundance of wild species spoors in the river beds and banks. Our results show that the number of species in one segment of the river decreased with the increasing size of the field area bordering the segment. For all the major ungulate species, the numbers of individuals recorded per segment decreased with increasing field area. A similar trend was observed for small and medium-sized carnivores, though they were in lower numbers when present. Our analyses thus confirm that the extension of human agriculture in wildlife areas has an impact on most wild species, but we also define some threshold value of field size above which there seem to be an acceleration of the decrease in wildlife density and diversity: 3.2 ha for medium and small herbivores and carnivores; only the elephant seem to tolerate larger field area with a threshold value of 32 ha.This revised version was published online in May 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Spatial pattern analysis of pre- and post-hurricane forest canopy structure in North Carolina,USA

Existing spatial patterns of a forest are in part a product of its disturbance history. Using laser altimetry and field measures of canopy top height to represent pre- and post-hurricane canopy topography, respectively, we measured changes in spatial patterns of stand structure of a United States southern mixed coniferous-deciduous for est. Autocorrelative and fractal properties were measured in this opportunistic study to quantify changes in canopy architecture along twelve, 190-250 m transects that were subjected to moderate to high levels of wind disturbance. Prior to the hurricane, canopy heights were autocorrelated at scales <40 m with an average fractal dimension of 1.71. After the disturbance, autocorrelation disappeared; the average fractal dimension rose to 1.94. This shift towards spatial randomness illustrates part of the cyclical nature of ecosystem development. It shows how a catastrophic collapse of biomass accumulation corresponds to a decrease in ecosystem organization across a landscape. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

中国北方干旱半干旱地区宏观地貌的发育特征

分析了中国北方地区宏观地貌的基本特征、地质构造背景和地貌发育的主要影响因素,以期形成对北方干旱半干旱地区的自然地理条件、生态环境特征及农业发展基础条件的深刻认识,为生态环境的保护和区域农业规划提供参考。     

河西走廊典型绿洲景观格局比较研究--以张掖、临泽、高台、酒泉为例

以地处河西走廊的张掖、临泽、高台和酒泉等县 /市级行政区为景观单元 ,利用LandsetTM影像资料的目视解译 ,在ArcView 3.1和景观格局分析软件FRAGSTATS的支持下 ,计算各绿洲景观格局指标。结果表明 :荒漠类型在四个绿洲景观组分中占绝对优势 ,其次为水浇地 ,但不同绿洲水浇地所占比例相差较大 ,酒泉最高 ,张掖其次 ,高台最低 ;斑块数、斑块密度、边缘密度和平均斑块面积的差异表明 ,张掖绿洲景观类型最多且斑块粒径小 ,而高台则完全相反 ,体现出单调而粒径粗大的荒漠绿洲特征。     

景观格局分布特征的区域差异分析--以鄂尔多斯高原伊金霍洛旗为例

以内蒙古鄂尔多斯高原伊金霍洛旗为研究区域 ,以TM遥感影像解译的 1998年土地利用图为基础资料 ,将伊金霍洛旗划分为毛乌素沙地亚区、乌审凹地亚区和黄土丘陵亚区。从区域尺度 ,利用多样性、优势度、均匀度、分维数、平均斑块形状指数、平均斑块大小、斑块密度指数和斑块体平均斑块边缘等指数 ,对不同景观亚区的景观格局进行了数量分析。结果表明 ,在景观亚区这一尺度上 ,毛乌素沙地亚区一方面对该旗景观格局起控制作用 ,另一方面该亚区所承受的人类活动强度最大 ,景观的破碎化程度最深。而乌审凹地亚区的景观破碎化程度最小 ,人类活动强度最弱。从景观要素来看 ,无论哪一亚区均以天然草地为景观基质 ;不同类型斑块总的格局特点是 ,受人类影响程度愈深的斑块 ,其破碎化程度愈深 ,斑块的复杂性降低。总体而言 ,天然类型的斑块体 ,其斑块复杂性以乌审凹地亚区最为复杂 ,斑块的破碎化程度则以毛乌素沙地亚区最深 ;而人工斑块类型的变化规律在不同斑块类型之间稍有不同。     

基于不同尺度的干旱区城市景观生态研究--以陕西榆林市为例

从区域与城市两个尺度水平 ,对毛乌素沙漠南缘的榆林市城市景观进行研究认为 :在大尺度水平上 ,区域景观生态特征对城市景观特征具有一定的控制作用 ,而城市景观强大的功能流对区域景观产生干扰作用。城市景观的空间扩展与演化 ,既受区域景观特征的影响 ,也是区域景观演化的一个有机构成部分 ;在小尺度空间上 ,景观功能区、景观斑块与廊道的格局与功能 ,对城市景观格局动态以及维持城市景观多样的生态功能具有重要意义。在不同的利益追求下形成的景观文化 ,将深刻地影响到区域与城市景观演化的方向与过程。     

晋西昕水河流域生态经济型防护林体系景观格局动态分析

本文以晋西昕水河流域为典型实例，概述了流域生态经济型防护林体系建设背景。依据流域内各类型区在不同时段的土地利用结构和生态经济特征，进行流域生态经济型防护林体系景观格局变化分析，表明了流域内景观多样性和异质性不断增加的发展趋势，以及确定各区主要发展方向，实行综合开发与治理的必要性，并提出了相应的流域生态经济型防护林体系动态调控途径。