Population spread in patchy landscapes under a strong Allee effect

Many species of invasive insects establish and spread in regions around the world, causing enormous economical and environmental damage, in particular in forests. Some of these insects are subject to an Allee effect whereby the population must surpass a certain threshold in order to establish. Recent studies have examined the possibility of exploiting an Allee effect to improve existing control strategies. Forests and most other ecosystems show natural spatial variation, and human activities frequently increase the degree of spatial heterogeneity. It is therefore imperative to understand how the interplay between this spatial variation and individual movement behavior affects the overall speed of spread of an invasion. To this end, we study an integrodifference equation model in a patchy landscape and with Allee growth dynamics. Movement behavior of individuals varies according to landscape quality. Our study focuses on how the speed of the resulting traveling periodic wave depends on the interaction between landscape fragmentation, patch-dependent dispersal, and Allee population dynamics.     

景观可持续性与景观可持续性科学

人类活动已经剧烈地改变了自然环境,全球气候变化、生物多样性丧失、环境污染等种种迹象表明当今世界正处在一个不可持续的运行轨迹上,实现可持续发展成为21世纪人类面临的巨大挑战。景观是理解与塑造人类社会和环境关系最具操作性的尺度,也是提供景观服务,实现人类福祉最重要的场所。景观可持续性研究对于人类具有重要意义。景观可持续性是指特定景观所具有的、能够长期而稳定地提供景观服务、维护和改善本区域人类福祉的综合能力。景观可持续性具有跨学科、多维度特征,强调景观弹性和可再生能力;景观服务是景观可持续性研究中的重要概念,它是连接自然资本与人类福祉的关键桥梁,也是将景观可持续性与景观生态学紧密联系在一起的纽带。格局-过程-设计新范式的产生是景观可持续性研究的新发展。在景观可持续性快速发展的同时,聚焦于景观和区域尺度的景观可持续性科学应运而生。景观可持续性科学以景观格局、景观服务、人类福祉三者之间的动态关系为主要研究内容,充分融合了景观生态学空间显示方法、可持续性指标体系和GISRS等方法技术,其理论框架和研究方法体系正在逐步形成和完善之中。景观可持续性科学是可持续性科学的重要组成部分,虽然处于刚刚起步阶段,它必将成为未来十多年可持续性科学的研究热点。     

舟曲藏文化生态环境观对比分析

采用资料分析和指数分析两种方法对舟曲县3个藏汉村寨的生态环境进行了差异分析,从生态观的角度分析了导致这种差异性的原因,说明舟曲县3个村寨村民不同的生态观是决定其生态环境质量差异的关键因素。分析了舟曲藏文化的生态环境观与当地生态环境之间良性循环、相互影响的作用机理,并挖掘了这种生态观背后特定的文化内涵,总结了舟曲藏族生态文化主要包括苯教生态文化和藏传佛教生态文化。从地理学角度进行了思考,阐述了舟曲藏族生态文化与当地地理环境之间相互作用、相互影响的关系,指出要从根本上解决当前生态危机,应当将藏族传统生态文化与现代文化有机结合,树立合理的生态观。     

Ethnobiology and the evolution of the human mind

An evolutionary perspective on human thought and behaviour indicates that we should expect to find universal systems of perception, classification, and decision-making regarding the natural world. It is the interaction between these evolved aspects of the human mind, the biodiversity of the natural world, and unique historical, social, and economic contexts within which individuals develop and act that gives rise to cultural diversity. The palaeoanthropological record also indicates that language is a recently evolved phenomenon. This suggests that linguistic approaches in ethnobiology are likely to provide only a partial understanding of how humans perceive, classify, and engage with the natural world.     

北京百花山旅游活动与植被环境的关系

通过实地取样并选取植被景观特征指标,分析百花山旅游植被景观特征与环境因子的关系。结果表明,自然因子对植被景观特征的影响较小,但各植被景观特征值大都与其有一定的相关性。在人文因子中,游径宽度和伴人种比值与生态效应值形成显著负相关,说明植被景观受人为活动影响较大。由此可见,山岳型景区开展生态旅游时必须加强生态旅游的规划和管理,尽可能减少人为因素对植被景观的影响。     

Of Shrimps and Spirit Possession:Toward a Political Ecology of Resource Management in Northern Madagascar

I present a case of ntual innovation and spirit possession in northern Madagascar that builds on Rappaport's interests in the systemic nature of human-environmental interactions, the relationship between the various levels of political scale, and the interaction between meaning and material relations. I go beyond his formulations in questioning concepts of homeostasis and dynamic equilibrium, and instead propose to understand perturbations as inherent in a system and a source of systemic transformation. In this analysis, I place ecological relations and ritual within an explicitly political framework and examine the processes of social and material change. In drawing on the concept of cognized models, I also illustrate how historical memory and ritual enactments provide ideological frameworks for negotiating control over the use and management of the environment, [ecosystem, political ecology. Madagascar, spirit possession, ritual]     

Mosquito-borne Diseases as a Consequence of Land Use Change

Human modification of the natural environment continues to create habitats in which mosquitoes, vectors of a wide variety of human and animal pathogens, thrive if unabated with an enormous potential to negatively affect public health. Historic examples of these modifications include of impoundments, dams, and irrigation systems that create havens for the mosquitoes that transmit malaria, dengue, and filariasis. Additionally, contemporary deforestation appears to be associated with the expansion of mosquito distributions and the increase in mosquito-borne disease transmission. These observations are not unique to the developing world, as urban sprawl also contributes significantly to mosquito habitats and offers a sanctuary to some vector populations. With foresight and planning, most of these systems can be appropriately managed to control vector populations and pathogen transmission. The key to disease control is developing an understanding of the contribution of human landscape modification to vector-borne pathogen transmission and how a balance may be achieved between human development, public health, and responsible land use.     

中国园林生态学发展综述

运用文献计量等方法对已有科研成果进行统计分析,结果表明:中国近50年园林生态学科领域科研发展经过了起步探索(1962-1981)、缓慢发展(1982-2001)、快速发展(2002-2011)3个时期,园林生态学作为生态学一个新的分支学科,于20世纪90年代末初见端倪,作为一门新兴独立的应用生态学分支学科于21世纪初已基本形成.中国园林生态学领域的研究包括园林生态系统中生物与环境相互作用关系问题、人与环境相互作用关系问题以及园林生态系统与其他生态系统之间相互作用关系问题.当代园林生态研究主要有生态效益研究、生物与环境研究、人的需求与行为研究、生态规划与生态管理研究4个方面,目前园林生态学研究主要侧重生物与环境研究和生态效益研究,两方面的研究成果占总体研究成果的76.3％.不同研究方面也有各自的侧重点,如生物与环境研究侧重对植物的研究,生态效益研究侧重净化环境、水土保持和防灾减灾,生态规划与生态管理研究则侧重生态规划与设计.对四个研究方面的论文主题词检索和高频主题关键词的分布进行统计,结果显示,研究的热点有多样性、群落、水土保持、防灾避险、净化环境、生态规划与设计等.对CNKI中4个研究方面成果中获基金资助项目论文进行统计(不排重),总体成果中基金项目论文所占比重为10.8％,国家和地方基金是园林生态学科研基金资助的主要来源,基金论文比例之和达到85.4％,且国家和地方基金资助论文较多的是“生态与环境研究”和“生态效益研究”,合计占基金论文79.1％.SCI-E中收录的文献基金论文率为47.1％,是CNKI数据库收录的文献基金论文率的4.3倍,且国际基金是基金论文的主要资助来源之一,说明中国园林生态学领域部分科研成果得到国际学界关注.基于CNKI相关主题词统计,“园林生态学”的研究成果只有“景观生态学”的1％,“城市生态学”的8.3％,“园林生态学”学科系统理论研究在相关生态学科研究中所占比重很低,其理论和方法研究还较薄弱.今后在进一步完善学科理论体系、持续开展生态效益和园林植物研究的同时,为更好地研究和解决人-自然复合生态系统问题,提供更多的科学理论支撑,还需拓展交叉生态心理学或环境心理学等其他相关理论,更多地关注人与环境互相作用关系以及生态规划与生态管理等方面的研究,既使环境更好地满足人的行为需求,也使人认识到改变一些行为能更好地保护环境.     

武夷山风景名胜区景观生态安全度时空分异规律

以世界文化和自然遗产地武夷山中受自然和人类生态过程作用最为强烈和频繁的风景名胜区为研究对象,通过景观干扰度指数和景观脆弱度指数构建景观生态安全度指数, 并借助空间统计学方法对武夷山风景名胜区景观生态安全度的空间分布特征和变异规律进行探讨。结果表明:①1986-2009年武夷山风景名胜区景观生态安全度总体上呈递增趋势;②1986-2009年风景区景观生态安全度Morans's I表现为一定程度的正相关,1986-1997年间正相关关系明显增强,且景观生态安全度全局自相关存在尺度响应;③1997年和2009年风景区景观生态安全度局域自相关格局较一致,而景观生态安全度的集群结构及显著水平在1986-1997年间发生明显改变;④风景区各时期景观生态安全度所表现出较强的空间相关性是结构性因素和非结构性因素综合作用的结果,地形地貌、土壤类型等结构因素对风景区景观生态安全度的空间分布起决定性作用,而非结构因素(旅游开发建设、毁林种茶、弃农种茶等人类活动)对景观生态安全度的演变有重要影响。     

Ritual production of environmental history among the Arawakan Wakuénai of Venezuela

This essay examines ritual and ceremonial activities among the Arawakspeaking Wakuénai of the Venezuelan Amazon as processes of constructing power relations in changing historical and ecological conditions. Ritual evocations of the vertical dimension of power relations between mythic ancestors and human descendants adapt local populations to conditions of relatively severe stress, such as epidemics and scarcity of fish in long wet seasons. Other rituals evoke the horizontal dimension of power relations between affinally-related groups as a way of expanding the local descent group in conditions of lowered stress. These two ways of exercising ritual power link human populations to specific natural habitats and provide flexibility needed to adjust to demographic and other historical changes. Through ritual performances, the Wakuénai transform the natural environment into a cultural landscape of socialized objects and, conversely, remember the history of political relations among peoples through spirit-naming of natural species, objects, places, and geographic landmarks.     

Landscape issues in plant ecology

In the last decade, we have seen the emergence and consolidation of a conceptual framework that recognizes the landscape as an ecological unit of interest. Plant ecologists have long emphasized landscape-scale issues, but there has been no recent attempt to define how landscape concepts are now integrated in vegetation studies. To help define common research paradigms in both landscape and plant ecology, we discuss issues related to three main landscape concepts in vegetation researches, reviewing theoretical influences and emphasizing recent developments. We first focus on environmental relationships, documenting how vegetation patterns emerge from the influence of local abiotic conditions. The landscape is the physical environment. Disturbances are then considered, with a particular attention to human-driven processes that often overrule natural dynamics. The landscape is a dynamic space. As environmental and historical processes generate heterogeneous patterns, we finally move on to stress current evidence relating spatial structure and vegetation dynamics. This relates to the concept of a landscape as a patch-corridor-matrix mosaic. Future challenges involve: 1) the capacity to evaluate the relative importance of multiple controlling processes at broad spatial scale; 2) better assessment of the real importance of the spatial configuration of landscape elements for plant species and finally; 3) the integration of natural and cultural processes and the recognition of their interdependence in relation to vegetation management issues in human landscapes.     

景观资源美学评价的理论与方法

随着自然环境的不断破坏,景观已经不再是取之不尽,用之不竭的资源,人类开始把它放到与其它资源同等重要的战略地位.景观资源评价是其可持续利用和保护的前提.在论述美学、审美及景观内涵的基础上,阐述了审美心理学机制和审美途径,比较了传统与现代景观审美研究的方法,讨论了景观审美的重要理论(如柏拉图主义、康德学说、移情论、格式塔学派、马克思美学理论、Appleton理论),研究了景观评价方法的四大学派两大阵营(专家学派、心理物理学派、认知学派、经验学派、景观环境科学及景园文化),分析了国内外景观评价的成功实践.研究表明,景观评价历史发展以专家学派与感知学派竞争为特色,专家学派在景观管理中居于主导地位,而心理感知学派在研究领域处于支配地位,它们都认为景观质量决定于景观生物物理特性与人的感知判断;未来的景观资源评价仍表现出专家学派和感知学派共同主导、各自探索的特点;景观资源信息化与视觉时空动态模拟将冲击传统景观评价,而现代科技的发展将帮助迎接这些挑战.作者提出了21世纪景观评价的新特征: ①学派兼容并蓄,不断走向融合;②多学科交叉,注重量化评价;③强调环境信息,重视生态价值;④现代科技普遍应用,景观信息动态智能化;⑤景观模拟逼真化,主观感受现场化;⑥关注历史内涵,景观文化地位上升.     

People First: The Wa World of Spirits and Other Enemies

ABSTRACT

The Wa spirit world implies a certain rootedness. Knowledge of the location and propensities of spirits is necessary to engage their capricious menace through divination diagnostics and sacrificial remedies. Even as outsiders have attempted to introduce modern medicine, spirit neighbours and enemies continue to figure prominently in Wa health, disease and death. I outline how these practices for managing the menaces of the spirit world survived the demise of the political autonomy of the Wa in the 1950s and 1960s, when the ancient Wa lands were divided and annexed by the nation-states of China and Burma. Finally, I discuss the disastrous consequences of recent forced displacements of large numbers of people, which caused many unnecessary deaths by disrupted the victim’s established ways of dealing with disease as anchored in the local landscape.     

城市生物多样性分布格局研究进展

城市生物多样性分布格局由自然生态环境和城市化过程所决定;其动态和机理与自然生态系统迥然不同.城市生物多样性为城市生态系统提供了诸多生态系统功能和服务,对改善城市环境、维持城市可持续发展有着重要的意义和作用.城市化过程深刻改变了城市的生物多样性分布格局,导致了诸如本地物种多样性降低、外来物种多样性增加、物种同质化等一系列问题.近年来,城市生物多样性受到学界高度关注,大量研究结果既回答了一些关键性问题,又提出了诸多新的论题和挑战.分析了当前城市生物多样性分布格局研究的若干热点问题,总结了影响城市生物多样性格局的主要因素,探讨了城市生物多样性格局研究方法的关键问题,指出了未来城市生物多样性研究的发展方向,特别强调了城市生物多样性的生态系统功能研究在未来城市生物多样性研究中的重要地位.     

可持续景观规划——融合景观可持续性研究与地理设计

人类活动对景观的影响遍及世界各个角落,其广度、强度、频度不断增大。为了改变生态环境在人类社会经济增长压力下的不可持续状态,景观需要科学合理的设计与管理。可持续景观规划是在景观尺度上,在可持续性科学的指导下,平衡生态系统服务的供需关系,将生态、社会、经济活动过程反映到空间优化上,不断提高人类福祉的规划过程。为了能够实践该规划思路,在景观可持续性研究与地理设计融合的概念框架基础上,提出可持续景观规划的八个步骤,在问题诊断与目标设定、多源数据组织与管理、尺度匹配与多尺度分析、景观格局过程分析和可持续性评估、生态系统服务与景观格局关系模拟、情景分析与方案评估、地理设计平台搭建、可视化与人机互动等关键步骤中,融入了强-弱可持续性、多尺度分析、生态系统服务、可持续性指标、大数据应用,以及文化和地方感。研究提出的可持续性景观规划步骤与实现路径体现了多学科交叉、实时评估反馈、信息技术应用、利益相关者参与的特点,可被用于旨在提高人类福祉的多尺度空间优化和可持续景观设计。     

浦阳江中上游河谷盆地乡土景观研究

由流域水系冲击作用形成的河谷盆地往往具有较为封闭的地域环境,人与环境的相互作用将其转化为独特的乡土景观。以浙江省浦阳江中上游河谷盆地乡土景观为研究对象,依据人与自然的互动关系,将研究区分为湖区和畈区2种景观类型,同时基于风景园林学的视角,分别从自然基底、农田水利体系、聚落体系层面阐述2种景观类型的构成要素和空间格局特征,并通过典型的聚落样本进一步揭示了各系统层之间的相互关系以及乡土景观格局与乡土景观过程的耦合关系机制。     

Negotiating belonging: plants,people, and indigeneity in northern Australia

This article focuses on human‐plant relations, drawing on ethnographic research from northern Australia's Gulf Country to address the concept of indigeneity. Just as the identities of ‘Indigenous’ and ‘non‐Indigenous’ people in this region are contextual and at times contested according to the vernacular categories of ‘Blackfellas’, ‘Whitefellas’, and ‘Yellafellas’, so too the issue of what ‘belongs’ in the natural world is negotiated through ambiguities about whether species are useful, productive, and aesthetically pleasing to humans, as well as local understandings about how plants and animals came to be located in the Gulf region. At the same time, plants’ distinctive characteristics as plants shape their relations with humans in ways which affect their categorization as ‘native’ and ‘alien’ or ‘introduced’. Focusing our analysis on three specific trees, we argue that attention to the ‘plantiness’ of flora contributes significantly to debates about indigeneity in society and nature. At the same time, our focus on human‐plant relations contributes important context and nuance to current debates about human and other‐than‐human relations in a more‐than‐human world.     

Noise pollution and decreased size of wooded areas reduces the probability of occurrence of Tawny Owl Strix aluco

At present, urban areas cover almost 3% of the Earth's land surface, and this proportion is constantly increasing along with human population growth. Although urbanization leads to biodiversity decline, at the same time it creates a novel and extensive environment that is exploited by whole assemblages of organisms. These include predators, which use the matrix of different habitat types within the urban environment for breeding and/or foraging. This study investigated how attributes of the urban landscape influence the distribution pattern of a nocturnal acoustic predator, the Tawny Owl Strix aluco. The probability of occurrence of this species was correlated with the presence of natural forests, and the increasing size of wooded habitat patches within the urban landscape; however, Tawny Owls were less likely to occur at sites with high noise levels at night. Our study suggests that the distribution pattern of acoustic predators is shaped by the availability of primary habitat but reduced by noise intensity (which may decrease hunting efficiency). The Tawny Owl is a top predator in the urban environment and its presence/absence may therefore affect populations of other species; this provides clear evidence of the indirect effect of noise pollution on animal populations inhabiting urban environments.