Historical range of variability in eastern Cascades forests,Washington, USA

The historical range of variability (HRV) has been suggested as a coarse filter approach to maintain ecosystem sustainability and resiliency. The historical range of variability in forest age structure for the central eastern Cascade Range in Washington State, USA was developed from historical fire return intervals and the manner in which fire acted as both cyclic and stochastic processes. The proportions of seven forest structural stages calculated through these processes were applied to the area of each forest series within the central eastern Cascades landscape. Early successional forest stages were more common in high elevation forest than low elevation forest. The historical proportion of old growth and late successional forest varied from 38 to 63 percent of the forested landscape. These process-based estimates are consistent with those developed from forest structural information. HRV is a valuable planning tool for ecosystem conservation purposes, but must be applied to real landscapes with consideration of both temporal and spatial scale. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Antioxidant,anti-amylase and anti-glycation potential of brans of some Sri Lankan traditional and improved rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties

Brans of 23 traditional and 12 improved (both red and white) rice varieties in Sri Lanka were screened for anti-amylase and anti-glycation activities in vitro. Varieties which showed the highest inhibitory activities at screening were further investigated for anti-glucosidase and glycation reversing as anti-diabetic properties. The same varieties were studied for selected antioxidant properties. Significantly high anti-amylase and anti-glycation activities were observed for bran extracts of red varieties compared to white varieties at screening. Traditional red rice varieties, Masuran, Sudu Heeneti, Dik Wee and Goda Heeneti, exhibited significant and dose dependent anti-amylase, anti-glycation and glycation reversing activities. These varieties also showed marked antioxidant properties. It is concluded that brans of Sri Lankan traditional red rice varieties Masuran, Sudu Heeneti, Dik Wee and Goda Heeneti may be potential food supplements for diabetes.     

气候相似理论在引种中的应用与探讨

本文依据《中华人民共和国种子法》对引种的法律界定，并参阅了相关的法律及科技专业书籍，通过在引种实际工作中的不断探索研究，在气象等相关部门的通力合作下，成功地将气候相似理论导入引种中，为科学引种提供了一个思路。     

自动引导行走车环境理解系统的研究

以立体视差测距原理为基础，用两个摄像机同时对同一景物进行拍摄，根据景物在左、右图像中的视差，计算目标距控制点的三维空间的实际距离，可以得到一张关于行走车工作环境的地图，以便进行路径计划。本文给出了一种农用自动引导行走车的环境理解系统的构成方法，经实验验证，该方法可行，适合我国农业发展的趋势，有发展前途     

Managing field margins for biodiversity and carbon sequestration: a Great Britain case study

Abstract. Field margins are a valuable resource in the farmed landscape, providing numerous environmental benefits. We present a preliminary analysis of the carbon mitigation potential of different field margin management options for Great Britain, calculated using data from long-term experiments and literature estimates. The carbon sequestration potential of the individual options investigated here varies from 0.1 to 2.4% of 1990 UK CO₂-C emissions, or 0.7–20% of the Quantified Emission Limitation Reduction Commitment (QELRC). The scenarios investigated covered three possible margin widths and options for the management of margins at each width (viz. grass strips, hedgerows and tree strips). Scenarios involving margin widths of 2, 6 or 20 m would require approximately 2.3, 6.7 or 21.3% of the total arable area of Great Britain, respectively. Scenarios including tree strips offered the greatest potential for carbon sequestration, since large amounts would be accumulated in above-ground biomass in addition to that in soil. We also accounted for the possible impacts of changed land management on trace gas fluxes, which indicated that any scenario involving a change from arable to grass strip, hedgerow or tree strip would significantly reduce N₂O emissions, and thus further increase carbon mitigation potential. There would also be considerable potential for including the scenarios investigated here with other strategies for the alternative management of UK arable land to identify optimal combinations. We assumed that it would take 50–100 years for soil carbon to reach a new equilibrium following a land use change. More detailed analyses need to be conducted to include environmental benefits, socioeconomic factors and the full system carbon balance.     

树木直径生长的时间序列分析及模型预测

以解析木的数据为基础,对甘肃省小陇山地区的解析木干曲线的分形特征进行了研究,从整体上对树干形状进行描述,采用R/S方法即时间序列分析法对直径的生长过程进行了分析,发现随着树木年龄的增加,其霍斯特指数值也呈现增加的趋势,并以此建立了分形生长的霍斯特(H)指数预测模型,可用于森林生长量的预测,R/S分析结果充分反映了直径动态生长过程随时间尺度变化的分形特征.结合样地及样本数据,以分形分析、线性及非线性回归为主要方法,进而为森林资源的动态监测奠定基础,具有非常重要的生态学意义.     

Range fidelity: The missing link between caribou decline and habitat alteration?

Conservation of forest-dwelling caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) is of great concern across most of its range. Anthropogenic disturbances, primarily logging activities, have been identified as the most important cause of caribou decline, although the mechanisms underlying this decline are not fully understood. Caribou commonly display fidelity to calving sites or seasonal ranges, but the potential role of this life-history trait has been largely overlooked in research and conservation planning. This is surprising because sites and ranges with high inter-annual use should have high conservation value. We investigated the relationship between habitat disturbances and home-range fidelity of forest-dwelling caribou across three study sites in Québec, Canada, using a broad range of natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Between 2004 and 2007, we tracked 47 adult female caribou using GPS collars. Home-range fidelity varied between seasons, being higher during calving and summer, and lower during winter. Caribou reduced fidelity following natural and anthropogenic disturbances, the latter having a stronger negative influence. Anthropogenic disturbances had a strong negative impact on home-range fidelity during annual, summer and winter periods, whereas natural disturbance was the dominant factor during calving. Despite this negative influence on fidelity, caribou tended to demonstrate range fidelity even in study sites most impacted by human activities. Habitat disturbances could produce two possible outcomes for caribou conservation: (1) a trend for females to reduce home-range fidelity which could translate into lower calf and female caribou survival through reduced familiarity with food distribution, escape cover and predation risk and (2) a global tendency to maintain range fidelity even in a drastically modified landscape which could turn into an ecological trap, particularly for calves when predation risk increases due to increased black bear density in early successional forests. Taking range fidelity behavior into consideration during forest management planning could direct conservation efforts toward the best available sites and therefore facilitate caribou persistence in managed landscapes.