城市热环境定量评价技术研究进展及发展趋势

自“城市热岛”概念提出以来,城市热环境定量评价一直是城市气候与环境研究领域的重要内容.随着空间信息技术与计算机模拟技术的不断发展,城市热环境定量评价的技术手段和方法也取得了长足进步.从最初单一利用气象站历史数据对城市宏观尺度热环境进行数理统计分析,逐步发展到综合利用地面气象观测、热红外遥感、数值模式模拟等多种技术对不同尺度热环境进行动态模拟与预测.本文系统回顾了地面气象观测、热红外遥感、数值模式模拟3类城市热环境定量评价技术的发展历程,并总结了各类技术的优缺点、适用性及发展趋势,以期为今后的城市热环境评价与优化研究提供参考.     

城市湿地转变为不同土地利用类型后土壤碳氮分布特征

以安徽省蚌埠市龙子湖湿地为研究区,选择由湿地退化形成的林地、公园绿地、耕地、水产养殖地、防护林带5种土地利用类型为研究对象,分析土壤中总有机碳(TOC)、全氮(TN)含量,颗粒有机碳(POC)、颗粒有机氮(PON)含量与分配比例,以及土壤碳氮比(C/N)和颗粒组分碳氮比(POC/TOC),研究不同人为干扰强度和干扰形式下土壤碳氮的分布特征.结果表明: 林地、水产养殖地、耕地土壤中TOC呈现出表聚性,公园绿地和防护林带各土层间TOC含量无显著差异;5种土地利用类型土壤POC、TN、PON呈现出表聚性;受人为干扰程度较强的公园绿地和防护林带POC分配比例较高,耕地和水产养殖地受到的人为干扰也较强烈,但其POC分配比例与受人为干扰较弱的林地相当,说明除干扰强度外,干扰的形式也可能是影响POC分配比例的重要因素;林地C/N随土层深度增加而逐渐降低,公园绿地、耕地和防护林带C/N随土层深度增加变化不显著,除林地和耕地外,其他土地利用类型土层深度对POC/TOC的影响不显著.     

城市化对合肥蝶类多样性的影响

2010年3—10月,沿城市发展梯度选取了合肥市3个区域(城市、城郊和农村),进行蝴蝶调查。共采集蝴蝶1484只,隶属7科28属34种。结果表明:研究区域优势种蝶类为菜粉蝶(Pieris rapae)、酢浆灰蝶(Pseudozizeeria maha)、黄钩蛱蝶(Polygonia c-aureum);合肥不同城市化区域蝶类多样性存在差异,其多样性指数变化趋势为农村城郊城市;农村和城郊的多样性指数和丰富度指数在7月最高,城市8月最高;城市和城郊的优势度指数在8月最高,农村7月最高;3种不同城市化区域的均匀度指数均是8月最高。在快速城市化过程中,应根据不同城市化水平、不同生境类型采取不同的措施,保护和促进城市生物多样性。     

Identification of line‐specific strategies for improving carotenoid production in synthetic maize through data‐driven mathematical modeling

Plant synthetic biology is still in its infancy. However, synthetic biology approaches have been used to manipulate and improve the nutritional and health value of staple food crops such as rice, potato and maize. With current technologies, production yields of the synthetic nutrients are a result of trial and error, and systematic rational strategies to optimize those yields are still lacking. Here, we present a workflow that combines gene expression and quantitative metabolomics with mathematical modeling to identify strategies for increasing production yields of nutritionally important carotenoids in the seed endosperm synthesized through alternative biosynthetic pathways in synthetic lines of white maize, which is normally devoid of carotenoids. Quantitative metabolomics and gene expression data are used to create and fit parameters of mathematical models that are specific to four independent maize lines. Sensitivity analysis and simulation of each model is used to predict which gene activities should be further engineered in order to increase production yields for carotenoid accumulation in each line. Some of these predictions (e.g. increasing Zmlycb/Gllycb will increase accumulated β‐carotenes) are valid across the four maize lines and consistent with experimental observations in other systems. Other predictions are line specific. The workflow is adaptable to any other biological system for which appropriate quantitative information is available. Furthermore, we validate some of the predictions using experimental data from additional synthetic maize lines for which no models were developed.     

Environmental DNA metabarcoding of lake fish communities reflects long‐term data from established survey methods

Organisms continuously release DNA into their environments via shed cells, excreta, gametes and decaying material. Analysis of this ‘environmental DNA’ (eDNA) is revolutionizing biodiversity monitoring. eDNA outperforms many established survey methods for targeted detection of single species, but few studies have investigated how well eDNA reflects whole communities of organisms in natural environments. We investigated whether eDNA can recover accurate qualitative and quantitative information about fish communities in large lakes, by comparison to the most comprehensive long‐term gill‐net data set available in the UK. Seventy‐eight 2L water samples were collected along depth profile transects, gill‐net sites and from the shoreline in three large, deep lakes (Windermere, Bassenthwaite Lake and Derwent Water) in the English Lake District. Water samples were assayed by eDNA metabarcoding of the mitochondrial 12S and cytochrome b regions. Fourteen of the 16 species historically recorded in Windermere were detected using eDNA, compared to four species in the most recent gill‐net survey, demonstrating eDNA is extremely sensitive for detecting species. A key question for biodiversity monitoring is whether eDNA can accurately estimate abundance. To test this, we used the number of sequence reads per species and the proportion of sampling sites in which a species was detected with eDNA (i.e. site occupancy) as proxies for abundance. eDNA abundance data consistently correlated with rank abundance estimates from established surveys. These results demonstrate that eDNA metabarcoding can describe fish communities in large lakes, both qualitatively and quantitatively, and has great potential as a complementary tool to established monitoring methods.     

Toward a Practical Ontology for Socioeconomic Metabolism

The complexity of data and methods in industrial ecology (IE) keeps growing, and the demand for comprehensive and interdisciplinary assessments increases. To keep up with this development, the field needs a data infrastructure that allows researchers to annotate, store, retrieve, combine, and exchange data at low cost, without loss of information, and across disciplines and model frameworks. A consensus‐building debate about how to describe the common object of study, socioeconomic metabolism (SEM), is necessary for the development of practical data structures and databases. We review the definitions of basic concepts to describe SEM in IE and related fields such as integrated assessment modeling. We find that many definitions are not compatible, are implicit, and are sometimes lacking. To resolve the conflicts and inconsistencies within the current definitions, we propose a hierarchical system of terms and definitions, a practical ontology, for describing objects, their properties, and events in SEM. We propose a typology of object properties and use sets to group objects into a hierarchical, mutually exclusive, and collectively exhaustive (H‐MECE) classification. This grouping leads to a general definition of stocks. We show that a MECE representation of events necessarily requires two complementary concepts: processes and flows, for which we propose general definitions based on sets. Using these definitions, we show that the system structure of any interdisciplinary model of SEM can be formulated as a directed graph. We propose guidelines for semantic data annotation and database design, which can help to turn the vision of a powerful data infrastructure for SEM research into reality.     

Dynamics of the silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) natural regeneration in a mixed forest in the Central Apennine

The dynamics of the silver fir represent an important topic for researchers across Europe. Following its decline, which occurred in Europe after the last glaciation, the remaining relict areas became a very important laboratory for studying its conservation. The Central Apennine chain, particularly in Molise, represents one unique case where silver fir, Turkey oak and beech can be found within the same forest. This study focused on the forest structure of the Bosco Monteluponi where the closeness with Collemeluccio Man and Biosphere reserve has affected the diffusion of conifer within the forest. Consequently, the forest structure has shifted from even aged to uneven aged. The resulting complex forest structure offers new challenges for forest practitioners in the identification of silvicultural treatments, which identify and maintain the balance among the three species within the same forest. Particular importance was given to the silver fir natural regeneration in order to assess the forest suitability for conifer expansion. Results demonstrated that Monteluponi is strongly suitable for the in situ conservation of silver fir and offers a great opportunity for its diffusion.     

Diversity of macrofungi and exploitation of edible mushroom resources in the National Park “Appennino Lucano,Val D'Agri,Lagonegrese” (Italy)

An investigation on the macrofungal diversity of the National Park “Appennino Lucano, Val D'Agri, Lagonegrese” (Basilicata, southern Italy) was carried out, together with an evaluation of wild edible mushrooms in agro-forest ecosystems and their possible exploitation as a new source of food and revenue in rural and under-developed areas of this region. An unpublished list of 249 mushroom taxa (229 Basidiomycota and 20 Ascomycota), mostly belonging to the genera Tricholoma, Tuber, Russula, Amanita, Boletus, Lactarius, Mycena, Agaricus, Clitocybe and Hygrophorus, growing in this important natural area is provided together with ecological characterization of the recorded specimens. Inonotus obliquus is a new record for Basilicata, while Mycena bresadolana is reported for the first time from southern Italy. The presence of Amaurodon mustialaënsis, an extremely rare species of the northern hemisphere reported for the first time on white fir, is noteworthy. Among the previous findings, 116 species of edible mushrooms are presented and discussed in view of their relative abundance and edibility.     

Net Zero Fort Carson: Integrating Energy,Water, and Waste Strategies to Lower the Environmental Impact of a Military Base

Military bases resemble small cities and face similar sustainability challenges. As pilot studies in the U.S. Army Net Zero program, 17 locations are moving to 100% renewable energy, zero depletion of water resources, and/or zero waste to landfill by 2020. Some bases target net zero in a single area, such as water, whereas two bases, including Fort Carson, Colorado, target net zero in all three areas. We investigated sustainability strategies that appear when multiple areas (energy, water, and waste) are integrated. A system dynamics model is used to simulate urban metabolism through Fort Carson's energy, water, and waste systems. Integrated scenarios reduce environmental impact up to 46% from the 2010 baseline, whereas single‐dimension scenarios (energy‐only, water‐only, and waste‐only) reduce impact, at most, 20%. Energy conserving technologies offer mutual gains, reducing annual energy use 18% and water use 15%. Renewable energy sources present trade‐offs: Concentrating solar power could supply 11% of energy demand, but increase water demand 2%. Waste to energy could supply 40% of energy demand and reduce waste to landfill >80%, but increase water demand between 1% and 22% depending on cooling system and waste tonnage. Outcomes depend on how the Fort Carson system is defined, because some components represent multiple net zero areas (food represents waste and energy), and some actions require embodied resources (energy generation potentially requires water and off‐base feedstock). We suggest that integrating multiple net zero goals can lead to lower environmental impact for military bases.