Subtle changes in elevation shift bat‐assemblage structure in Central Amazonia

The distribution patterns of animal species at local scales have been explained by direct influences of vegetation structure, topography, food distribution, and availability. However, these variables can also interact and operate indirectly on the distribution of species. Here, we examined the direct and indirect effects of food availability (fruits and insects), vegetation clutter, and elevation in structuring phyllostomid bat assemblages in a continuous terra firme forest in Central Amazonia. Bats were captured in 49 plots over 25‐km² of continuous forest. We captured 1138 bats belonging to 52 species with 7056 net*hours of effort. Terrain elevation was the strongest predictor of species and guild compositions, and of bat abundance. However, changes in elevation were associated with changes in vegetation clutter, and availability of fruits and insects consumed by bats, which are likely to have had direct effects on bat assemblages. Frugivorous bat composition was more influenced by availability of food‐providing plants, while gleaning‐animalivore composition was more influenced by the structural complexity of the vegetation. Although probably not causal, terrain elevation may be a reliable predictor of bat‐assemblage structure at local scales in other regions. In situations where it is not possible to collect local variables, terrain elevation can substitute other variables, such as vegetation structure, and availability of fruits and insects.     

Rural and urban distribution of wild and domestic carnivore stools in the context of Echinococcus multilocularis environmental exposure

In zoonotic infections, the relationships between animals and humans lead to parasitic disease with severity that ranges from mild symptoms to life-threatening conditions. In cities and their surrounding areas, this statement is truer with the overcrowding of the protagonists of the parasites’ life cycle. The present study aims to investigate the distribution of a parasite, Echinococcus multilocularis, which is the causative agent of alveolar echinococcosis, using copro-sampling in historically endemic rural settlements of the eastern part of France and in newly endemic areas including urban parks and settlements surrounding Paris. Based on 2741 morphologically identified and geolocalized copro-samples, the density of fox faeces was generally higher in the surrounding settlements, except for one rural area where the faeces were at larger density downtown in the winter. Fox faeces are rare but present in urban parks. Dog faeces are concentrated in the park entrances and in the centre of the settlements. DNA was extracted for 1530 samples that were collected and identified from fox, dog, cat, stone marten and badger carnivore hosts. Echinococcus multilocularis diagnosis and host faecal tests were performed using real-time PCR. We failed to detect the parasite in the surroundings of Paris, but the parasite was found in the foxes, dogs and cats in the rural settlements and their surroundings in the historically endemic area. A spatial structuring of the carnivore stool distribution was highlighted in the present study with high densities of carnivore stools among human occupied areas within some potentially high-risk locations.     

Direct and plant trait‐mediated effects of the local environmental context on butterfly oviposition patterns

Variation in the intensity of plant–animal interactions over different spatial scales is widespread and might strongly influence fitness and trait selection in plants. Differences in traits among plant individuals have been shown to influence variation in interaction intensities within populations, while differences in environmental factors and community composition are shown to be important for variation over larger scales. However, little is still known about the relative importance of the local environmental context vs. plant traits for the outcome of interactions within plant populations. We investigated how oviposition by the seed‐predator butterfly Phengaris alcon on its host plant Gentiana pneumonanthe was related to host plant traits and to local environmental variation, as well as how oviposition patterns translated into effects on host plant fruit set. We considered the local environmental context in terms of height of the surrounding vegetation and abundance of the butterfly's second host, Myrmica ants. The probability of oviposition was higher in plants that were surrounded by lower vegetation, and both the probability of oviposition and the number of eggs increased in early‐flowering and tall plants with many flowers in the three study populations. Flowering phenology, shoot height and flower production were, in turn, related to higher surrounding vegetation. Myrmica abundance was correlated with vegetation height, but had no effect on oviposition patterns. Oviposition and subsequent seed predation by the caterpillars strongly reduced host plant fruit set. Our results show that plant–animal interactions are context‐dependent not only because the context influences the abundance or the behavior of the animal interactor, but also because it influences the expression of plant traits that affect the outcome of the interaction. The results also demonstrate that heterogeneity in environmental conditions at a very local scale can be important for the outcomes of interactions.     

京津冀地区污染物排放与城市化过程的耦合关系

我国快速的城市化发展不仅带来了经济的迅速发展和人口的大量聚集,同时也对资源和环境产生了巨大的影响。在城市化进程较为快速的城市群地区,城市化带来的生态环境胁迫尤为突出。以典型污染物为指标,定量研究了京津冀地区13个城市在2000年、2005年、2010年的工业和生活污染物的排放总量、人均排放量、排放效率、排放强度的时空特征,研究了经济发展与污染物排放的定量响应模式,以探讨污染物排放与城市化的耦合关系。研究发现:(1)京津冀地区的污染物排放空间分异特征显著,其中北京的生活污水、生活COD等污染物排放总量为地区内最高,唐山、天津、石家庄等城市的工业污染物排放高于其它城市。(2)北京、天津工业污染物的排放效率较高,人均排放量、排放强度低于其它城市。(3)2000—2010年间,京津冀地区的生活污水、工业废气、工业固废排放显著增加(P0.05),而其它生活和工业污染物排放量、排放效率和排放强度等呈显著下降趋势(P0.05)。(4)京津冀地区的工业废水、工业和生活SO2、生活烟尘、工业固废和工业废气等污染物的排放量与经济发展存在环境库兹涅兹曲线特征(R20.5,P0.05)。定量揭示了京津冀地区污染物排放的时空分布特征及其与城市化发展的关系,可为城市群区域污染物排放的管理及环境保护政策的制定提供科学参考。     

GI引导下的采煤塌陷地生态恢复优先级评价

生态恢复优先级评价是恢复生态学研究的热点之一,而退化生态系统被恢复为何种类型是确定生态恢复优先级的前提和重点。以徐州市为研究区,将城市绿色基础设施(GI)作为塌陷地生态恢复的目标,在GIS技术支撑下,从塌陷斑块恢复为GI的适宜性及其对维持GI景观连接度的重要性两个方面,综合评价了采煤塌陷地生态恢复优先级。研究结果表明,徐州市超过半数的采煤塌陷斑块具有较高的GI生态适宜性,相对集中在5个片区;各塌陷斑块维持景观连接度的重要性分布不均匀,贾汪片区中部及北部塌陷斑块对维持景观连接度的作用非常显著;二者叠加后各塌陷斑块的综合适宜度具有明显差异,将其划分为5个生态恢复优先等级,较高优先等级分布于贾汪片区中部、董庄片区北部、庞庄西片区中部,建议将其纳入城市绿色基础设施予以优先恢复并立法保护。     

基于热扩散技术的三倍体毛白杨单木及林分蒸腾耗水研究

定量分析单木及林分的蒸腾耗水特征,是林木水分管理的关键环节。采用热扩散式边材液流检测技术,结合自动气象站,对三倍体毛白杨树干边材液流及环境因子进行了连续2年的动态观测。结果表明:(1)单株尺度上,三倍体毛白杨边材液流速率日变化在晴天表现为"单峰型",关键影响因子为水汽压亏缺(VPD)和太阳辐射(Qs),日平均液流速率在4—10月分别为0.65×10-3、2.12×10-3、2.09×10-3、1.78×10-3、1.84×10-3、1.76×10-3、1.04×10-3cm/s;(2)林分尺度上,三倍体毛白杨在2008、2009年(栽植第4年和第5年)的蒸腾耗水量分别为339.52和410.62 mm,主要影响因素为气孔导度(Gc)、相对湿度(RH),以及VPD;(3)多元线性回归模型可以较好的模拟三倍体毛白杨边材液流速率对环境因子的响应特征(P0.01,2008年),模型预测值较实测值偏大6.39%(2009年),二者极显著线性相关(R2=0.910,Sig.=0.00054,n=1008)。     

太湖流域丘陵区两种土地利用类型土壤水分分布控制因素

为探究太湖流域丘陵区典型土地利用类型(如竹林地和茶园)土壤水分的控制因素,在不同深度土壤水分定期观测的基础上,根据前7d降雨量将研究时段划分为干旱状态和湿润状态,利用分类与回归树(CART)方法得出不同干湿状态下土壤水分分布的主控因子,并借助典范对应分析(CCA)定量分析不同土地利用类型、不同土壤深度土壤水分格局与环境因子关系。结果表明:(1)高程、土地利用类型和土层厚度对土壤水分分布的相对贡献率最大,但在不同干湿状态下其影响程度存在差异;(2)干旱状态时土壤水分主要受高程、坡度、地形湿度指数(TWI)和剖面曲率等地形因素的作用,而土层厚度和粘粒也分别为0—20 cm和20—40 cm深度土壤水分的主控因子;(3)在湿润状态下,茶园0—20 cm土壤水分的主控因素为地形因子,在20—40 cm则以土壤性质为主,竹林地两个深度的土壤水分受地形和土壤性质的作用都很强,其中20—40 cm深度土壤水分与环境因子的关系较0—20 cm深度更为复杂。     

区域水安全格局构建:研究进展及概念框架

随着全球变化背景下生态安全问题的日益严峻,生态安全格局研究成为宏观生态学关注的热点领域;水作为重要的自然生态要素,其安全格局的构建也是区域生态安全格局优化的重要组成部分,但目前其基本内涵、构建理论与方法、指标体系等尚未受到足够重视,缺乏系统梳理。在对比分析资源、环境与灾害等多学科视角下水安全概念异同的基础上,明晰了区域水安全格局的概念内涵,将其定义为保障区域水安全目标的土地利用空间格局;系统探讨了水安全格局构建历程与方法研究进展,指出水安全研究正由定量评价向空间管控转型,水环境安全格局构建严重滞后,缺乏水安全格局与自然生态过程、社会经济过程的耦合关联分析;最后,基于景观生态学格局-过程互馈理论和地理学区域综合视角,以GIS空间分析、In VEST模型等为技术支撑,构建了水资源安全、水环境安全和水灾害规避安全3个单一维度的水安全格局,并提出基于空间多准则分析模型的区域综合水安全格局构建概念框架,以期有效提升中国城市化进程的水安全格局保障。     

淮南采煤塌陷湖泊浮游植物功能群的季节演替及其驱动因子

在淮南矿区设置潘谢潘集站(PXPJ)、潘谢顾桥站(PXGQ)和潘谢谢桥站(PXXQ)等3个塌陷湖泊站点,分别代表3种典型矿区湖泊水文生态条件,于2013—2014年分4个季度采样并分析了3个湖泊浮游植物功能群组成、季节演替规律及其与环境和生物因子的关系。结果显示,3个湖泊的浮游植物种类可归入16个功能群,其主要优势功能群反映了小型富营养化湖泊水体的生境特征。PXPJ春季S1、X2和Y为主要优势功能群,分别以伪鱼腥藻(Pseudanabaena sp.)、具尾蓝隐藻(Chroomonas caudata Geitler)和卵形隐藻(Cryptomonas ovata Ehr.)为代表种属,随后3个季节C为第1优势功能群,以链形小环藻(Cyclotella catenata)为代表物种。PXGQ春夏秋3个季节中均以伪鱼腥藻为代表的S1功能群占绝对优势地位,冬季向C(以链形小环藻为代表)和D(以尖针杆藻为代表)为主的功能群演替。PXXQ春季X2和Y为主要优势功能群,分别以具尾蓝隐藻和卵形隐藻为代表,夏秋季以伪鱼腥藻为代表的S1功能群占据优势地位,冬季向C(链形小环藻为代表)和E(长锥形锥囊藻为代表)功能群为主的群落结构演替。水温和光照条件是驱动淮南采煤塌陷湖泊浮游植物功能群季节演替的关键环境因子,而营养盐和生物因素是导致3个湖泊功能群组成差异的重要原因。     

我国HEV废旧镍氢电池包中稀贵金属资源化利用环境效益分析

废旧动力电池包中含有丰富的镍、钴、稀土等稀贵金属,其资源化利用是实现混合动力汽车(Hybrid Electrical Vehicle,简称HEV)全生命周期绿色化管理的重要内容之一。随着HEV的不断发展,动力电池包在未来几年将逐渐进入批量报废阶段,其资源化利用的环境效益成为值得关注的问题。鉴于此,以丰田混合动力汽车镍氢电池包为研究对象,利用GREET模型和LIME值法测算出,相比于原生矿开采,单位废旧镍氢电池包中稀贵金属资源化利用所产生的环境效益为1083元;根据报废周期,对我国市场上现存的HEV镍氢电池包的未来报废情况进行预测。结果表明,这些电池包将从2018年开始迎来报废,在2021年达到报废高峰,至2024年基本完成报废;预计其稀贵金属资源化利用的环境效益,可累计达9421万元。提出了加强废旧动力电池回收体系和资源化利用体系建设的政策建议。