Landscape change under indirect effects of human use: the Savanna of Central Chile

The Chilean Intermediate Depression to the north of Santiago has experienced a physiognomical transformation from a Prosopis chilensis woodland to an Acacia caven savanna. Today P. chilensis trees are scarce and belong mostly to the larger size classes. By contrast A. caven seems to reproduce frequently and its populations consist of individuals of all size classes. In this paper we document these changes and report the results of tests aimed at determining the causes of these physiognomical changes. We found that livestock, leporids, introduced Mediterranean forbs and agriculture account for differences in seed dispersal and survival of A. caven and P. chilensis, which can explain the documented changes in the Chilean landscape.     

潜江小城镇景观规划

潜江小城镇的水资源丰富但开发落后，绿系统不完善，街景缺乏工艺性。在对现状调查分析的基础上，提出了对过境公路、水体、街景进行动感空间、情感空间规划的建议，对乡土化设计、恢复性设计进行了探讨。     

Change in spatial characteristics of forest openings in the Klamath Mountains of northwestern California,USA

Change in the spatial characteristics of forest openings was investigated in three forested watersheds in north-western Siskiyou County, California totalling approximately 24,600 hectares. Watersheds with minimal human disturbance were chosen for study. However, fire suppression has been pervasive throughout. Characteristics of forest openings (area, perimeter, distance between neighboring openings) were measured on aerial photographs taken 41 years apart. An index of regional form was determined for the landscape. Shape complexity for each opening was calculated using two indices based upon fractals. Significant differences were found using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov two-sample test between the perimeters, areas, distance from sample point to nearest opening, and distance between neighboring openings. The perimeters and areas became smaller, and the distances from the sample point to the nearest opening and between neighboring openings became greater over the 41 years between aerial photo sets. The estimated area occupied by openings decreased from 25.8 % to 15.6 % of the study area. No significant difference was found in the shape of the openings except as the shape indices were influenced by changes in size of the openings.This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and it is therefore in the public domain and not subject to copyright.     

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.     

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.     

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。     

Pocono mesic till barrens in retreat: topography,fire and forest contagion effects

The Pocono mesic till barrens (PMTB) are a unique assemblage of fire-maintained shrub communities that support numerous rare species. Historically these barrens covered a large area in the vicinity of Long Pond, Pennsylvania, USA. However, due largely to regional fire suppression instituted in the early 1960s, over 70% of the area covered by barrens succeeded to fire-intolerant forest that does not support the rare species. We investigated the influence of forest proximity on barrens succession across three geomorphic types during periods of high fire frequency and fire suppression, testing the hypothesis that forest processes such as seed rain, shading, and detrital enrichment of soils enhances barrens succession through a contagion effect. Evidence of a forest contagion effect should be shown by increased rates of barrens succession with increasing proximity to the nearest forest edge. In order to detect a forest contagion effect, barrens persistence and barrens succession were modeled in proximity zones of 0-50 m, 50-100 m, 100-200 m, and greater than 200 m from the nearest forest edge. We used existing GIS data layers for fire, geomorphology, and vegetation distribution in 1938, 1963, and 1992. The layers were modified and overlain using ArcView software to determine persistence and succession rates for each unique combination of layers in each proximity zone from 1938 to 1963 (pre-fire suppression) and 1963 to 1992 (post-fire suppression). ANCOVA results indicate that proximity to the nearest forest edge significantly affected barrens persistence rates in both time periods, but succession rates were significantly affected in 1938 to 1963 only. Twenty-eight percent of the 1938 barrens succeeded to forest by 1963; 56% of the 1963 barrens became forest by 1992. Results support previous findings that barrens persistence is enhanced by increased fire frequency, and that barrens persist longer where they overlie flat glacial till than on other geomorphology types.     

排水工程对三江平原湿地流域的影响分析

在三江平原别拉洪河流域地形图、土地利用图和排水工程建设资料的基础上,利用地理信息系统进行流域景观制图,并根据排水工程建设量将该流域划分出4个排水分区。利用景观结构分析软件FRAGSTATS分别计算了各分区2个时期(1967年和2005年)的多种景观结构指标。结果表明:排水工程之前,除了旱地无排区的其它3个排水区域,自然湿地覆盖率均达到90%以上,且呈大块连续状分布,结构比较简单,自然状态保存完好;排水渠大量修建之后,沼泽地因排水基本消失,草甸及其它沼泽类型也大片被排干,取而代之的是以大面积的旱地和水田为基质,湿地以小的斑块体镶嵌其中的流域景观,景观结构破碎化严重并趋于复杂化。最后提出下一步的研究工作。     

基于景观单元的环境质量综合评价探讨——以新疆布尔津县为例

以新疆布尔津县为例,结合当地环境保护和管理工作的需求,采用2002年和2004年新疆生态遥感监测工作的基础数据,利用景观生态学理论和RS/GIS技术,对先行的基于行政区域为单元的环境质量评价方法和技术规定进行改进,完成了基于景观单元的环境质量综合评价,实现了由各指标单因子的专题评价到各指标多因子的综合评价,以及由景观生态单元的局部评价到县(市)、地区、区(省)级行政单元的整体评价,使评价结果既有利于从宏观上了解区域环境状况,同时也为局部的治理提供依据。评价结果表明:2004年布尔津县环境质量属优、良、一般、较差和差的区域面积比例分别为12.8%,13.5%,34.7%,23.3%和15.7%;与2002年相比,全县环境的总体状况没有发生大的变化,仍属于一般级水平。评价结果符合实际情况,基于景观单元的环境质量评价方法可行。     

锡林浩特市城市风景林生态效益研究

锡林浩特市位于中国正北方,内蒙古自治区中部。锡林浩特市城市风景林带是锡林浩特市生态环境建设的一个有机组成部分,同时也是区域生态环境建设的一个重要屏障。作为城市风景林带,其所具有的防风功能的大小,是建设城市风景林的一个重要指标。通过测定证明,不同风景林带对不同高度层的风速降低作用差异很大。灌木林带(大白柠条和山杏)主要以降低近地层风速(100cm以下)为主,对高层风速影响相对较小;而乔木林带(银中杨和沙地榆)则以降低高层风速为主(100cm以上)。不同林带类型降低沙粒沉积数量的作用效果明显,当风速为7.0m/s时,裸地1分钟内沙粒沉积重量为9.89g,而银中杨林带相同时间沉积的沙粒重量仅为1.40g,沙地榆林带1分钟内沙粒沉积的重量为4.47g,大白柠条林带相同时间沙粒沉积的重量为1.07g,是四种林带中沉积沙粒重量最少的类型,山杏1分钟内沙粒沉积的重量为1.25g。