Spatial ecology of golden jackal in farmland in the Ethiopian Highlands

The spatial ecology of golden jackal Canis aureus was studied on farmland adjacent to the Bale Mountains National Park in southern Ethiopia during 1998–2000. Three adult and four subadult jackals were captured in leg‐hold traps and radiotagged. The range size of the adult jackals varied from 7.9 to 48.2 km² and the subadults from 24.2 to 64.8 km² . These ranges are the largest recorded for this species. Range overlap of the tagged jackals averaged 54%, which, in conjunction with observations of associations between individuals, suggested that all the tagged jackals belonged to one social group. Tagged jackals were observed alone on 87% of occasions despite the extensive overlap in individual ranges. Pairs consisting of a male and female were the most commonly observed group and larger groups were seen on only five occasions. Jackals in this population appeared less gregarious than observed elsewhere. The jackals used all the habitats available to them, particularly at night when they foraged in Artemesia and Hypericum bush and farmland. During the day they were more frequently found in Hagenia and Juniper woodland and their diurnal resting sites were characterized by thick cover. This is the first detailed study of golden jackals in a human‐modified landscape in Africa and further demonstrates the flexibility in behaviour and ecology exhibited by this species throughout its range.     

Use of Restored Small Wetlands by Breeding Waterfowl in Prince Edward Island, Canada

Abstract Since 1990 under the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture over 100 small wetlands have been restored in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Wetlands were restored by means of dredging accumulated sediment from erosion to emulate pre‐disturbance conditions (i.e., open water and extended hydroperiod). In 1998 and 1999 we compared waterfowl pair and brood use on 22 restored and 24 reference wetlands. More pairs and broods of Ring‐necked Ducks, Gadwall, Green‐winged Teal, and American Black Ducks used restored versus reference wetlands. In restored wetlands waterfowl pair density and species richness were positively correlated with wetland/cattail area, percent cattail cover, and close proximity to freshwater rivers. In addition, a waterfowl reproductive index was positively correlated with percent cattail cover. Green‐winged Teal pair occurrence in restored wetlands was positively correlated with greater amounts of open water and water depths. American Black Duck pairs occurred on most (86%) restored wetlands. Restored small wetlands likely served as stopover points for American Black Duck broods during overland or stream movements, whereas they likely served as a final brood‐rearing destination for Green‐winged Teal broods. We suggest that wetland restoration is a good management tool for increasing populations of Green‐winged Teal and American Black Ducks in Prince Edward Island.     

Snail diversity, abundance and distribution in Arabuko Sokoke forest, Kenya

This study sought to investigate land‐snail diversity, abundance and distribution in Arabuko Sokoke forest. Sampling was done using standard timed direct search and litter sample methods. In total, 25 species and 1263 specimens were recorded. The 25 species rank Arabuko Sokoke forest as the second richest coastal forest in land snails in East Africa. The 25 species, however, are not uniformly distributed across the forest. The majority of the snails were localized with low levels of abundance. Eight species were restricted to one forest type, whereas those shared among forest types tended to concentrate in one forest type. Only five species, Gulella radius, Gulella foveolata, Gonaxis kibweziensis, Pseudoglessula biovini and Opeas gracilis, were widespread. The highest snail diversity was recorded in the mixed forest, implying that special conservation of this habitat is necessary for retention of the broadest molluscan diversity. The observation that some species rare in the mixed forest were recorded in excess from Brachystegia and Cynometra forest, further suggests that conservation of the entire A. Sokoke forest is critical for efficient molluscan conservation. Species recorded in low levels of abundance are probably declining and investigation on the snails' ecology to understand factors that influence the snails' diversity is recommended.     

Marginality: scale determined processes and the conservation of the British butterfly fauna

Marginality describes the impact that environmental and landscape factors have in decreasing the probability of population survival and persistence. It may be imposed by extreme conditions or resource scarcity. Typically, it affects populations at the range edge but can also affect populations within the core of ranges, and produces a number of symptoms: characteristically demographic, but also morphological, physiological, biochemical and genetic. In this paper, the causes and effects of marginality on British butterflies are compared in edge and centre of range populations. Issues of temporal and spatial scales are examined, as is the relevance of marginality to the conservation of single and multiple species populations. The recognition of marginality questions the appropriateness of many so-called spatially realistic models of populations and highlights areas of research which have hitherto been ignored. Projected changes in land use and climate have implications for marginality in core and peripheral populations; in view of this, current scales of mapping are found to be unsuitable for monitoring fragmentation and the increasing marginalization of butterfly species in the British landscape.     

城市生态系统的模拟方法：灵敏度模型及其改进

评估城市生态系统的持续发展能力,探讨其持续发展对策是一个复杂的动态问题,需要运用动态的模拟方法进行。由德国著名生态控制论专家Ｆ．Ｖｅｓｔｅｒ和Ａ．Ｖ．Ｈｅｓｌｅｒ教授提出的“灵敏度模型”方法,将系统科学思想、生态控制论方法及城市规划融为一体,解释、模拟、评价和规划城市复杂的系统关系,是模拟城市生态系统很好的方法。本文对该方法进行了改进。改进后的“灵敏度模型”为评价城市持续发展能力、探讨其持续发展对策提供了新的思路。     

油菜主序优势及其利用初析

油菜具有主序优势,主要表现在结角数上,在角粒数、千粒重及品质上也很显著。不同类型其优势强弱不同,白菜型和甘蓝型优势明显,芥菜型几乎不具有优势。在甘蓝型油菜中因品种、密度不同优势差异显著。增加密度可使主序在产量中的比例增加,在５万株／亩时可达７３．０５％．主序具有结角率高、成熟早等优点,通过选育优势强的品种,适当增加密度,合理调整布局,有望使油菜产量有较大幅度地提高     

辽西半干旱地区深松中耕对作物产量的影响及其作用机理研究

对辽宁西部半干旱地区深松中耕对作物产量影响及作用机理的研究表明,深松打破了犁底层,减小了土壤容重及穿透阻力,增加了表层及亚表层土壤的孔隙度．深松土壤水分人渗可达８０ｃｍ,大豆根系深度增加３．６～４．０ｃｍ,大豆产量和水分利用效率分别增加２７．７～３４．５％和１６．１％,在干旱年份玉米增产７．９％．     

多功能植物增效剂防治害螨研究

多功能植物增效剂是由多种天然植物制成的水剂,属高新科技、专利产品(944110480x),对人畜无毒,不伤害天敌昆虫,无三废残留;与化学农药混用,可节省化学农药50～90％,降低空间毒性,减轻污染和残留,而防效接近或高于单用化学杀螨剂;单用,可杀虫治螨灭菌,促作物生长发育作用,增产显著。     

不同时期毛乌素沙区主要植物种光合作用和蒸腾作用的变化

 采用LI—6000便携式光合分析系统对毛乌素沙区主要植物种油蒿、中间锦鸡儿、旱柳进行了不同时期光合作用,蒸腾作用日进程的测定,并同步测定有效光辐射、空气相对湿度、叶温、气温、胞间CO2浓度、气孔阻力、叶片水势及土壤水势等因子;结果表明：不同时期、不同植物种其光合、蒸腾特征各异;植物的光合、蒸腾与环境因子和植物内部因子之间有密切关系,其中有效光辐射是影响光合作用、蒸腾作用诸因子中的主导因子,而气孔阻力变化则在调节光合和蒸腾中起着重要作用;不同植物种间气孔对环境条件变化的响应程度不同,以中间锦鸡儿最为灵敏;3种植物的水分利用效率表明,中间锦鸡儿的水分利用效率较油蒿、旱柳为高。     

Nitrogen mineralization in native cultivated and abandoned fields in shortgrass steppe

We conducted a set of in situ incubations to evaluate patterns of N availability among dominant land uses in the shortgrass steppe region of Colorado, USA, and to assess recovery of soil fertility in abandoned fields. Replicated 30 d incubations were performed in 3 sets of native (never cultivated), abandoned (cultivated until 1937), and currently cultivated, fallow fields. Net N mineralization and the percentage of total N that was mineralized increased in the order: native, abandoned, cultivated. Higher soil water content in fallow fields is the most likely reason for greater mineralization in cultivated fields, while higher total organic C and C/N ratios in native and abandoned fields may explain differences in mineralization between these land uses. Recovery of soil organic matter in abandoned fields appears to involve accumulation of soil C and N under perennial plants, but probable methodological artifacts complicate evaluation of the role of individual plants in recovery of N availability. Higher N mineralization and turnover in cultivated fields may make them more susceptible to N losses; recovery of N cycling in abandoned fields appears to involve a return to slower N turnover and tighter N cycling similar to native shortgrass steppe.