Genetic and Genomic Resources of Small Millets

Small millets are very promising agricultural entity to ensure global food security. They gained remarkable importance in agriculture due to their resilience to climatic changes and increasing demand for nutritious food and feed. The genetic variability in the core and mini-core germplasm of small millets was characterized for nutritional composition and capacity to tolerate abiotic stresses that can be infused in breeding programs. Other than the foxtail millet, availability of genomic information in small millets is far below the mark for use in marker-assisted breeding and other genetic improvement programs. The genome sequence of foxtail millet has recently triggered a plethora of post-genomic analysis and envisaged foxtail millet as a model organism for the C₄ grasses and bioenergy research. Recent developments in the next-generation sequencing technologies enabled us, with the simultaneous discovery of high-throughput markers and multiplexed genotyping of germplasm, to speedup marker-assisted breeding. In this context, an in-depth analysis of the wealth of diverse germplasm resources and future perspectives of integrating genomics in genome-wide marker-trait association and breeding in small millets is worthy.     

Global agricultural intensification during climate change: a role for genomics

Agriculture is now facing the ‘perfect storm’ of climate change, increasing costs of fertilizer and rising food demands from a larger and wealthier human population. These factors point to a global food deficit unless the efficiency and resilience of crop production is increased. The intensification of agriculture has focused on improving production under optimized conditions, with significant agronomic inputs. Furthermore, the intensive cultivation of a limited number of crops has drastically narrowed the number of plant species humans rely on. A new agricultural paradigm is required, reducing dependence on high inputs and increasing crop diversity, yield stability and environmental resilience. Genomics offers unprecedented opportunities to increase crop yield, quality and stability of production through advanced breeding strategies, enhancing the resilience of major crops to climate variability, and increasing the productivity and range of minor crops to diversify the food supply. Here we review the state of the art of genomic‐assisted breeding for the most important staples that feed the world, and how to use and adapt such genomic tools to accelerate development of both major and minor crops with desired traits that enhance adaptation to, or mitigate the effects of climate change.     

Adaptive Ecosocial System Sustainability Enhancement in Sub-Saharan Africa

A conceptual framework is developed and used for improving the livelihood of Sub-Saharan communities faced with multiple stresses resulting from adverse environments, vector-transmitted diseases, and limited food. Ecosocial systems are the units for management. The accumulation of ecological, economic, and social capital is the objective of management, the reduction of maintenance costs is the key strategy, and technologies must satisfy ecological, economic, and social criteria. Interacting social system components are communities, facilitators, scientists, and political as well as administrative organizations. An adaptive approach to management allows flexibility in human and financial resource allocation and results in changes in knowledge and efficacy of management operations. The implementation strategy at two sites in Ethiopia relies on a two-stage procedure. In Stage 1, human and cattle health management set the conditions for development. In Stage 2, the ecosocial system is kept on a trajectory to enhanced ecological, economic, and social capital. In each stage, the assignment of responsibilities leads to four implementation phases. In Stage 1, successful precision targeting of tsetse and drug-based Trypanosoma spp. control increased the economic and social capital at the Luke site in southwestern Ethiopia but threatened the ecological capital because of overstocking and land degradation. In Stage 2, a women’s group living in the outskirts of Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) transformed barren land into a horticultural enterprise to enhance ecosystem service provision, including production of horticultural goods, and increase soil fertility expressed by nutrients and water availability. This article reviews concepts on human livelihood improvement in Sub-Saharan Africa and identifies principles that became important during project execution.     

西南岩溶区广西生态安全及资源利用效率

构建了基于生态足迹理论的生态安全综合评价模型,然后基于生态安全评价指标,把数据驱动下动态计量经济学的单位根检验和与协整分析模型引进到生态安全与资源利用效率之间的动态均衡关系的研究中来。以西南岩溶区广西为例,首先采用生态足迹理论方法来测算1990～2003年广西生态安全的生态足迹、生态承载力、生态盈亏及生态压力指数,然后采用动态计量的协整分析方法对广西区域资源利用效率与生态安全状况诸指标之间的长期关系进行了协整分析。结果显示,广西生态足迹呈不断增加趋势,生态承载力呈不断下降趋势,出现了严重的生态赤字,生态足迹压力增幅明显,从临界安全状态发展到不安全状态;资源利用效率不高与生态安全指标之间呈现一种长期稳定的趋势,这表明岩溶区广西的资源利用效率不高,生态安全形势不容乐观,需要及时采取应对策略与措施加以调控。     

基于焦点物种的北京市生物保护安全格局规划

快速城市化进程中,城市及周边地区生物栖息地的丧失和破碎化对生物多样性保护构成严重威胁。如何在景观尺度上判别对于生物保护具有重要意义的栖息地及其空间格局成为了重要问题。选取快速城市化的典型地区——北京市作为研究对象,将焦点物种和景观安全格局方法相结合,对北京市生物保护安全格局进行判别和规划。根据焦点物种的定义和选取标准,将在栖息地类型、生物学特征等各方面具有代表性的大白鹭(Casmerodius albus)、绿头鸭(Anas platyrhynchos)、环颈雉(Phasianus colchicus)选作北京市的焦点物种,应用最小阻力模型和GIS空间分析技术,对焦点物种的栖息地适宜性进行分析,并建立物种运动的等阻力面,根据阻力面的空间特征对北京市生物保护安全格局进行规划。结果显示:规划后的安全格局的斑块数量、分离度、邻近距离显著下降,平均斑块面积和最大斑块指数显著上升;该格局用约60%的土地,保护了北京市主要生境类型及关键性空间格局,可有效缓解栖息地丧失和破碎化的问题,从而达到保护整体生物多样性的目的。这一研究方法和成果可为北京市生物多样性保护和城乡生态建设提供决策依据,也对同类研究具有借鉴价值。     

Invasive alien plants and environmental remediation: a new paradigm for sustainable restoration ecology

This article explores some fundamental aspects of ecological restoration dynamics when an ecosystem is exposed to and altered by environmental disturbances like invasive alien plants and metals/particulates. These dynamics are assessed in socioeconomic and phytoremediation terms with respect to the perspective of emerging nations (e.g. an Indo‐Burma global biodiversity hotspot). In this short report, we discussed the positive ecological uses of invasive alien plants in remediation/restoration of the contaminated environment. Therefore, the impacts of invasive alien plants on the ecosystem are analyzed as prerequisite for remediation/restoration efforts. The utility of an integrated approach is proposed as a promising option to help restore or sustain the socioecological systems from diverse disturbances.     

自然保护地社区生计转型与产业发展

良好的社区与自然保护地关系首先建立在社区生计的公平与可持续发展上。为促进社区认同、接受乃至参与自然保护地建设与管理，我国自然保护地管理逐渐重视社区利益，推动其生计转型发展与生态保护相协调。社区居民从事产业活动、进行生产经营、参与产业分工，是维持和改善生计的重要方式之一。研究采用质性内容分析方法，从不同研究视角、地理空间和政策背景的案例研究中提取自然保护地社区生计转型及其产业发展路径的内在逻辑，形成内容、激励机制、政策保障、结果、成败分析、发展对策六个核心范畴，以动因与形式、结果与原因来归纳总结前5个范畴的核心事实，根据发展对策提出自然保护地社区生计转型和产业发展原则，并结合国家公园特征和管理目标提出建议。研究表明，在社区层面协同保护与发展本质上来说是降低农户面临的自然、政策和市场风险的过程，生计可持续性和公平性双重目标可以通过产业生态化，产业部分替代或完全替代来实现。以产业发展带动生计转型具有经济、社会、文化多重效益，但其实现需要尊重本土文化，保障社区基本权利，多方参与协作，匹配和提升居民差异化能力。在国家公园体制建设中社区生计发展特别需要依托本地资源，对标市场需求，推进产业生态化，拓展传统产业功能，从自然和半自然生态系统的协同中寻求生态和文化价值向经济价值转化。     

基于主导生态功能的抚河流域国土空间生态安全格局分析

从主导生态功能的角度分析探讨生态安全格局，是明晰流域内生态安全、保护生物多样性的重要途径。以抚河流域为研究对象，采用多源空间数据，根据研究区自然条件和生态状况，基于主导生态功能定量评估水源涵养、水土保持、生物多样性3个生态系统服务功能，结合粒度反推法和热点分析选取生态源地，综合自然条件和人类活动影响因素构建阻力面，运用电路理论构建生态廊道，识别生态修复关键区域，提出生态安全格局优化对策。研究结果表明：（1）抚河流域内有25块生态源地，主要为林草地，共5574.63km²，60条生态廊道，共1126.91km；（2）基于生态安全格局识别生态修复关键区域，包括生态夹点26处、总长度为182.99km，生态障碍点19处、总面积为167.09km²，生态断裂点146处，破碎生态空间3283.79km²；（3）结合生态安全格局和生态修复关键区域，构建"三轴六区"生态安全空间布局优化体系。研究对维护抚河流域的生态安全、实行国土空间生态系统修复具有指导意义。     

基于生态安全格局的国土空间生态修复关键区域识别——以贺州市为例

国土空间生态修复是落实生态文明建设战略的重要举措。科学识别国土空间生态修复关键区域，合理布局全域生态修复空间是当前国土空间规划面临的难点之一。以广西壮族自治区贺州市为例，从生态保护重要性、景观连通性、生态功能重要区域和自然保护区四个方面识别生态源地，运用电路理论提取生态廊道，构建生态安全格局。通过电流密度诊断生态廊道中的生态"夹点"和生态障碍点，判定生态廊道宽度，识别国土空间生态保护修复关键区域，制定生态修复的空间布局策略。研究结果表明：（1）市域生态源地面积3656.89 km²，呈"东西重，中部轻"的空间分布特征；生态廊道总长度639.50 km，以中部分布为主，关键生态廊道133.96 km。（2）市域生态"夹点"共16处，面积124.24 km²，主要分布在钟山县，亟待保护修复的生态"夹点"8处，面积45.02 km²，零散分布于市域；生态障碍点共32处，面积426.56 km²，主要分布在市域东部和南部，需优先保护修复的生态障碍点6处，面积166.05 km²，集中在平桂区。通过综合分析国土生态修复关键区域土地利用现状和空间分布特征，制定了分级分类的生态修复措施，以期进一步优化生态安全格局，为国土空间生态修复区域识别和国土空间生态修复规划编制提供参考。