Modeling co-occurrence of northern spotted and barred owls: Accounting for detection probability differences

Barred owls (Strix varia) have recently expanded their range and now encompass the entire range of the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina). This expansion has led to two important issues of concern for management of northern spotted owls: (1) possible competitive interactions between the two species that could contribute to population declines of northern spotted owls, and (2) possible changes in vocalization behavior and detection probabilities of northern spotted owls induced by presence of barred owls. We used a two-species occupancy model to investigate whether there was evidence of competitive exclusion between the two species at study locations in Oregon, USA. We simultaneously estimated detection probabilities for both species and determined if the presence of one species influenced the detection of the other species. Model selection results and associated parameter estimates provided no evidence that barred owls excluded spotted owls from territories. We found strong evidence that detection probabilities differed for the two species, with higher probabilities for northern spotted owls that are the object of current surveys. Non-detection of barred owls is very common in surveys for northern spotted owls, and detection of both owl species was negatively influenced by the presence of the congeneric species. Our results suggest that analyses directed at hypotheses of barred owl effects on demographic or occupancy vital rates of northern spotted owls need to deal adequately with imperfect and variable detection probabilities for both species.     

谷物联合收割机电控全液压转向系统建模与仿真

为研究谷物联合收割机视觉导航系统中电控全液压转向系统的操纵性能,该文介绍了联合收割机视觉导航系统结构,在建立了电控全液压转向系统各组成部分的数学模型基础上,构建了系统的仿真模型,并进行了Simulink 仿真。仿真结果表明：联合收割机的侧向速度和横摆角速度的稳态值与实车试验结果一致,横摆角速度稳态值约为-12.5°/s,侧向速度稳态值约为-0.25 m/s,二者的稳态误差小于5%;在信号瞬态响应过程中,仿真与实车试验的过渡时间相同,约为1.8 s,仿真试验的侧向速度及横摆角度的响应速度皆快于实车试验结果,但二者总体变化趋势相同。所建立的系统模型准确、可靠,较好地反映了联合收割机转向时动静态特性,为联合收割机视觉导航转向控制器设计提供参考依据。     

基于语义驱动的日光温室图纸三维建模方法

为了从日光温室施工图纸中重建出温室结构三维模型,提出基于语义映射的施工图纸三维重建方法。首先解析和分类日光温室施工图纸DXF文件,从中识别和理解主要特征构件,建立日光温室构件语义模型并生成分层控制参数,进而基于参数化驱动日光温室三维建模,最后对日光温室三维模型进行真实感渲染。该方法整合CAD制图与三维建模技术,有利于提高日光温室施工图纸的读图效率,建立的三维温室模型具有保真性、交互性和真实感等特性,可用于工程量和造价计算、温室结构优化以及虚拟展示。     

Needles in haystacks: Estimating detection probability and occupancy of rare and cryptic snakes

The species most in need of conservation or management are often also the most difficult to monitor, because of their rarity, secretive habits, or both. To combat these challenges, presence/absence (site occupancy) models can be used to track species occupancy at landscape scales. However, quantitative knowledge of detection probability (which is almost always <1) is required to reliably estimate site occupancy. Here, we present a case study that combines detection probabilities and site occupancy modeling to monitor a notoriously secretive guild of animals, North American aquatic snakes. Specifically, we use program PRESENCE to estimate detection probability (p) and probability of site occupancy (ψ) for seven snake species in relationship to site covariates, to understand the proximate and ultimate factors that influence habitat suitability. We were able to estimate p (3–46%) and ψ (12–96%) for each species and calculate the amount of unsuccessful effort necessary to declare absence of each species with statistical confidence (5–63 visits; 150–1890 trap-nights). We documented considerable interspecific variation in p and ψ; one species (Nerodia fasciata) was widespread and highly detectable, while another (Agkistrodon piscivorus) had low detectability despite its wide distribution. Five other species were secretive, or restricted to specific habitat types, or both, illustrating that complex and sometimes counterintuitive relationships exist between capture rate and occupancy. Incorporating p and ψ is essential to the success of large-scale monitoring programs for elusive species.     

基于组合型L-系统的单树建模工具的设计与实现

该文依据植物形态学和树木生长过程的生理生态学原理,提出由器官尺度上升单树尺度的L-系统文法规则组合拼接方法,该方法有利于L-系统树木形态和生长规则的重用,实现对树木形态拓扑结构的本真还原和科学模拟。该文设计了基于L-系统的单树建模工具软件的功能体系结构,并在VC++开发环境下采用OpenGL图形标准、VRML虚拟现实建模语言开发完成了单树建模工具软件-LSTree。LSTree具有模型输入输出、树木三维可视化、生长过程模拟等业务功能,以及良好的人机交互性能和灵活、科学的单树模型组织管理方式。该软件可用于精准农业,以及植物学和生态学方面的教研、宣教等专业研究与应用。     

European Bison habitat in the Carpathian Mountains

European Bison (Bison bonasus) barely escaped extinction in the early 20th century and now only occur in small isolated herds scattered across Central and Eastern Europe. The species’ survival in the wild depends on identifying suitable habitat for establishing bison metapopulations via reintroductions of new herds. We assessed European Bison habitat across the Carpathian Mountains, a stronghold of European Bison and one of the only places where a viable bison metapopulation may be possible. We used maximum entropy models to analyze herd range maps and habitat use data from radio-collared bison to identify key habitat variables and map European Bison habitat across the entire Carpathian ecoregion (210,000 km²). Forest cover (primarily core and perforated forests) and variables linked to human disturbance best predict bison habitat suitability. Bison show no clear preference for particular forest types but prefer managed grasslands over fallow and abandoned fields. Several large, suitable, but currently unoccupied habitat patches exist, particularly in the eastern Carpathians. This available suitable habitat suggests that European Bison have an opportunity to establish a viable Carpathian metapopulation, especially if recent trends of declining human pressure and reforestation of abandoned farmland continue. Our results also confirm the suitability of a proposed Romanian reintroduction site. Establishing the first European Bison metapopulation would be a milestone in efforts to conserve this species in the wild and demonstrate a significant and hopeful step towards conserving large grazers and their ecological roles in human-dominated landscapes across the globe.     

Priming effects: Interactions between living and dead organic matter

In this re-evaluation of our 10-year old paper on priming effects, I have considered the latest studies and tried to identify the most important needs for future research. Recent publications have shown that the increase or decrease in soil organic matter mineralization (measured as changes of CO₂ efflux and N mineralization) actually results from interactions between living (microbial biomass) and dead organic matter. The priming effect (PE) is not an artifact of incubation studies, as sometimes supposed, but is a natural process sequence in the rhizosphere and detritusphere that is induced by pulses or continuous inputs of fresh organics. The intensity of turnover processes in such hotspots is at least one order of magnitude higher than in the bulk soil. Various prerequisites for high-quality, informative PE studies are outlined: calculating the budget of labeled and total C; investigating the dynamics of released CO₂ and its sources; linking C and N dynamics with microbial biomass changes and enzyme activities; evaluating apparent and real PEs; and assessing PE sources as related to soil organic matter stabilization mechanisms. Different approaches for identifying priming, based on the assessment of more than two C sources in CO₂ and microbial biomass, are proposed and methodological and statistical uncertainties in PE estimation and approaches to eliminating them are discussed. Future studies should evaluate directions and magnitude of PEs according to expected climate and land-use changes and the increased rhizodeposition under elevated CO₂ as well as clarifying the ecological significance of PEs in natural and agricultural ecosystems. The conclusion is that PEs - the interactions between living and dead organic matter - should be incorporated in models of C and N dynamics, and that microbial biomass should regarded not only as a C pool but also as an active driver of C and N turnover.     

Predictions of soil water and crop growth dynamics using the agroecosystem models THESEUS and OPUS

The agroecosystem models THESEUS and OPUS were tested with data obtained from three agricultural experimental field plots on sandy soils without groundwater located at the moraine landscape in East Brandenburg, Germany. At each of these plots, a separate agricultural management practice was applied. Measurements of soil water contents, pressure heads, above‐ground crop biomass, and crop yield from these three plots were compared with the corresponding simulation results of both models. The comparisons of simulated with measured outputs were analyzed using the modeling‐efficiency index IA. According to these analyses, both models simulated adequately the time courses of volumetric soil water contents and above‐ground crop biomass, but the time courses of pressure heads were predicted with a lower quality by both models. As for the pressure heads, the yields simulated with both models showed greater discrepancies in comparison with the observed ones. This indicates the need of a site‐specific parameter calibration of the crop‐growth modules, especially for that included in OPUS .     

基于Kinect V3深度传感器的田间植株点云配准方法

准确建立植物的三维点云是以点云方式高通量获取植株各部位物理参数的前提.为实现田间复杂环境下的植株三维点云配准,该研究提出了一种基于多标定球的田间植株点云自动配准方法,并分别在室内简单场景及大田复杂场景下从不同角度对多种作物采集的点云数据进行验证.该方法采用随机抽样一致性算法(Random Sample Consensu...     

基于无人机倾斜摄影技术的黄土丘陵区典型小流域淤地坝特征信息提取与分析

淤地坝现状特征信息的精准提取对于淤地坝运行现状评估十分重要,全面的淤地坝特征信息可为病险坝除险加固提供重要依据,当前淤地坝特征信息提取尚缺乏科学高效的技术。针对此问题,拟提出基于无人机倾斜摄影技术提取淤地坝运行现状特征的方法,以无人机航拍影像为基础数据,生成三维实景模型和高精度DEM,用于淤地坝数目、位置、剩余库容、有效坝高等重要现状信息的提取和测量,进而分析小流域内淤地坝分布、组成结构、坝体信息、淤积程度、坝控流域面积等特征。将此技术应用于陕西省榆林市子洲县蛇家沟小流域,详细提取1座大型坝和3座中型坝的现状特征信息。经过同野外实测数据对比,提取的淤地坝坝体信息相对误差均＜3.8%。所识别的大型坝剩余库容不足,处于基本淤满状态,且坝顶明显沉降,在极端降水条件下具有极大的漫顶溃坝风险。坝地耕作面积占小流域面积比例仅为2.17%,仍有坝地尚未开垦利用。研究结果可为小流域淤地坝动态监测与科学管理提供新方法和新思路。