A review of models of landscape change

Models of landscape change may serve a variety of purposes, from exploring the interaction of natural processes to evaluating proposed management treatments. These models can be categorized as either whole landscape models, distributional landscape models, or spatial landscape models, depending on the amount of detail included in the models. Distributional models, while widely used, exclude spatial detail important for most landscape ecological research. Spatial models require substantial data, now more readily available, via remote sensing, and more easily manipulated, in geographical information systems. In spite of these technical advances, spatial modelling is poorly developed, largely because landscape change itself is poorly understood.To facilitate further development of landscape models I suggest (1) empirical multivariate studies of landscape change, (2) modelling of individual landscape processes, (3) explicit study of the effect of model scale on model behavior, and (4) scaling-up results of studies, on smaller land areas, that have landscape relevance.     

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.     

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。     

吉林省荒地资源生态适宜性评价

本文从吉林省荒地资源的实际出发 ,在荒地资源生态适宜性评价基本理论的指导下 ,采用地理信息系统方法 ,对吉林省荒地资源进行了生态适宜性评价。通过空间数据和属性数据的融合、分析、处理 ,可以直观获得荒地资源的生态适宜度等级 ,从而提高评价效率 ,为荒地资源的合理开发利用提供科学依据。     

陕甘宁老区建立生态特区的必要性分析

本文从历史与现状方面分析了陕甘宁老区加强生态环境建设的必要性。阐述了陕甘宁老区历史上范围的变化及其对中国革命和经济建设的贡献。从多方面分析了它的自然条件 ,揭示了其自然环境的脆弱性。说明了该区经济建设取得的成就和存在的问题 ,揭示了其贫困落后的社会经济状况。提出了在该区建立生态特区以促进其生态环境建设的观点。     

乌梁素海生态恢复机理与工程技术的研究

在我国干旱区典型草型湖泊—乌梁素海设立试验基地 ,进行生态恢复工程试验研究。研究表明 :乌梁素海受富营养化影响 ,正在向芦苇沼泽—碱蓬盐化草甸—白刺荒漠方向演化。生态恢复机理是 :( 1 )减少大型水生植物有机氮、磷向底质的沉降 ,削弱内源性营养物负荷的积累与储备 ;( 2 )减少大型水生植物死亡后矿化成氨态氮 ;( 3)控制底质中有机氮向水体释放生成氨态氮。采用机械化方式收割大型水生植物转移营养盐 ,抑制生物促淤效应以及对芦苇区进行园田化生态管理是乌梁素海生态恢复的关键技术 ,也是乌梁素海环境与资源持续发展的核心问题     

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。     

我国防沙治沙科研的突破口初探-以河西走廊沙区为例

河西走廊的防沙治沙科研在我国广大沙区具有代表性。河西走廊防沙治沙科研存在的主要问题是 :⑴宏观战略研究薄弱 ,研究缺乏系统性。主要表现在 :治沙措施散件得不到优化组合 ,其功能得不到充分发挥 ;研究客体之间互相割裂 ,缺乏从总体上控制沙漠化的研究 ;农业开发与生态资源保护的结合点问题没有解决 ;研究课题重复。⑵散件成果多属定性结论 ,缺乏操作性。运用系统科学的思想方法是治沙科技发展的突破口 :只有运用系统科学的思想方法才能科学处理生态资源保护、生态环境建设和资源开发利用三方面的关系 ,才能实现各种防沙治沙措施的优化配置 ,才能实现治理结果的持续稳定。运用现代数学方法建立沙区生态环境综合治理数学模型才能科学处理多系统的复杂关系。现代数学方法是系统科学的主要方法。运用系统科学的思想方法和现代数学方法是治沙科技发展必须达到的 ,是治沙科技发展的突破口。