Abundance of West Nile virus mosquito vectors in relation to climate and landscape variables

It is currently unclear if the potential for West Nile virus transmission by mosquito vectors in the eastern United States is related to landscape or climate factors or both. We compared abundance of vector species between urban and suburban neighborhoods of Henrico County, VA, in relation to the following factors: temperature, precipitation, canopy cover, building footprint, and proximity to drainage infrastructure. Mosquitoes were collected throughout the 2005, 2006, and 2007 seasons and tested for West Nile virus (WNV) in pools of 10–50. Test results of mosquito pools were compared to average site abundance from 37 sites in Henrico County, VA; abundance was then examined in relation to ecological variables. Urban infrastructure was positively correlated with the abundance of Culex pipiens L./Cx. restuans, and our findings implicate combined sewer overflow systems as large contributors to Culex vector populations. No measure of urbanization examined in our study was correlated with Aedes albopictus abundance. Our study showed that certain landscape variables identified using Geographic Information Systems are valuable for predicting primary WNV vector abundance in Virginia, and that temperature along with low precipitation are strong predictors of population growth. Our results support other regional studies that found WNV proliferates under drought conditions.     

Suburbs: dangers or drought refugia for freshwater turtle populations?

Urbanization is one of the most rapidly expanding forms of habitat alteration worldwide. Wildlife differs in their responses to urbanization depending upon species and site-specific factors. We used capture-mark-recapture to examine the abundance, population demographics, growth, and movements of the eastern long-necked turtle (Chelodina longicollis) in Australia over 1 year in a suburban environment and an adjacent nature reserve during drought. Contrary to expectations, sex ratios, injury incidence, and frequency of juvenile size classes did not differ between turtles in the suburbs and the nature reserve. Moreover, turtles in the suburbs were nearly 3 times more abundant, grew 5 times faster, and had populations comprised of more adults in the larger size classes than nature reserve populations. These findings, together with net movements from the nature reserves into the suburbs, suggest that suburban water bodies were the higher quality habitat, effectively buffering turtles from temporal fluctuations in environmental conditions during drought. However, reserve managers and urban planners need to recognize that suburban water bodies have the potential to attract turtles from nearby reserves during drought, and that even low levels of persistent mortality during these travels across reserve boundaries may have consequences for populations of long-lived vertebrates. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.     

Increasing terrestrial vegetation activity in China, 1982—1999

The搊pening?policiesimplementedinChinainthepasttwodecadeshaveresultedinextensivechangesinlanduseandlandcover.Vegetationactivityhasincreasedthroughagriculturalpracticessuchasafforestation,irrigation,andintensiveagriculturalmanagement[1,2].Ontheotherhand,vegetationcover-agehasdecreasedduetorapidurbanization,industri-alization,andovergrazing[3,4].Thus,therearecon-flictingreportsregardingthestatusofChina抯vegeta-tion,asnointegrativeanalysisatthenationallevelhasyetbeenconducted.Thisstudyaimstoexpl…     

快速城市化地区景观格局梯度动态及其城乡融合区特征——以广州市番禺区为例

以快速城市化的广州市番禺区为研究样区,通过解译1990-2008年4期Landsat TM影像得到研究区土地利用/覆被数据.选取景观类型水平和景观水平上的景观指数,采用景观格局与梯度分析相结合的方法,研究快速城市化地区景观格局的梯度变化及其城乡融合区特征.结果表明：研究区景观格局动态变化显著,在城市化缓冲带上具有典型的城乡融合区特征,城市景观逐年增加且向外围扩展,而农业景观破碎化严重.斑块密度、蔓延度、景观多样性等指数在城市化梯度上表现出明显的规律性,景观指数峰值出现在距离城市中心4～6 km的梯度带上.时间序列上的景观格局数据体现了不同梯度带上景观动态的差异,城乡融合区景观格局具有斑块形状复杂、景观多样性和破碎化程度高、景观动态变化剧烈的特点.景观指数的峰值逐年向外推移,城乡融合区有逐渐向外发展的趋势.探讨了城乡融合区景观格局时空演化的一般特征及其驱动因素,对区域土地利用政策和可持续发展规划具有指导意义.     

太湖常见浮叶植物和沉水植物的光合荧光特性比较

利用水下饱和脉冲荧光仪(DIVING-PAM),原位观测太湖常见的水生植物菱、荇菜、苦草、黑藻的最大光化学量子产量(F_v/F_m)及在暗适应和光适应条件下的快速光曲线.结果表明:浮叶植物菱和荇菜光系统Ⅱ的潜在最大光合作用能力高于沉水植物苦草和黑藻,其最大量子产量分别为0.837、0.831、0.684和0.764;菱和荇菜的最大电子传递速率、半饱和光强分别高于沉水植物苦草和黑藻,且在光适应条件下尤为显著.     

京津冀地区城市化发展时空差异特征

随着京津冀一体化协同发展的提出,如何协调城市间城市化和产业发展的差异成为目前关注的焦点。因历史原因和政策影响,尤其在城市化发展方面地区之间存在较大差异,定量识别该区城市发展的时空差异性对于制定合理的区域协同发展政策具有重要的指导意义。基于1984—2012年社会经济统计数据,通过引入偏离度指数和变异系数,从人口、土地、社会、经济四方面研究了不同时期京津冀地区城市化发展时空差异特征。研究表明:(1)京津冀地区城市化4个方面的发展均呈整体上升趋势,尤其表现在经济和社会发展方面。整体增长幅度为:经济社会土地人口。(2)从发展速度看,京津冀地区人口与土地增速最快时期发生在2000—2004年;而社会与经济增速最快时期发生在1992—1996年;这些特征充分反映了我国阶段性政策的影响。(3)从城市化发展的驱动因子分析,京津冀地区人口与土地增长速度差异较小,发展趋势较为一致,呈现显著的正相关关系;经济、社会增长速度差异较小,发展趋势较为一致,表现出高度的正相关性;而人口与社会、人口与经济、土地与社会、土地与经济之间的相关性不显著。(4)京津冀地区城市化发展区域差异较大,不同时段各城市发展存在明显差异;在城市化进程中区域间最大差异性表现在土地的扩张,其次是人口增长,而经济和社会增长差异性相对较小。(5)人口、土地、社会、经济四项城市化驱动因子与城市生态因子的耦合协调度均不断提高。     

1988-2013年重庆市主城九区生态用地空间结构及其生态系统服务价值变化

在当前快速城市化的背景下,理解和把握城市生态系统服务功能退化原因及规律的最有效手段是对其生态用地结构及其生态系统服务价值进行准确的评估。采用RS、GIS技术以及生态系统服务价值评估等方法,对重庆市主城九区1988、1996、2004、2013年4个时段遥感影像进行解译及比较分析,结果表明：1988-2013年间,重庆市主城九区城市化水平经历了加速阶段、减速阶段及饱和阶段,城市化水平的提高对城市建设用地增长的影响显著;重庆市主城九区生态用地主要为城市提供了食物生产、提供原材料、废物处理、土壤形成与保护、气候调节、气体调节、生物多样性以及水源涵养等生态系统服务,在结构变化上呈现出“二减三增”的结构变化特点;25年间重庆市主城九区共减少生态系统服务价值260.60×10⁶元,整体处于下降趋势,其中农地的生态系统服务价值损失最大,共减少24.50%;在空间分布上,随着城市建设用地向“南-北-西”方向扩展,生态系统服务价值以中梁山与铜锣山之间的区域减少最为严重,整个研究区生态系统服务价值下降的主要原因来自于农地的大量减少以及城市建设用地扩张所带来的生态负影响。研究结果表明在重庆市主城九区生态用地空间格局与生态系统服务变化之间存在密切相关性,在城市化率达到饱和阶段后应严格控制建设用地增长,促进建设用地集约节约利用,加大农地的保护力度以及对林地、水体、草地的维护,维持整个区域的生态平衡。研究可为科学合理布局和保护城市生态用地提供信息资料和决策参考。     

城市土壤封闭对有机碳库影响的时空变化模拟

随着全球城市化的迅速发展,城市生态系统的研究日益受到关注。城市化过程引发的大面积土壤封闭,导致土壤功能退化,进而影响城市生态系统。通过构建城市封闭土壤碳循环模型,考虑土壤温度,水分,有效氮含量以及各项理化性质等影响土壤有机碳在封闭条件下分解的影响因素,模拟南京市1980年至2010年城市封闭土壤有机碳含量与土壤有机碳库的时空变化过程,揭示人工封闭对于城市土壤功能的影响。结果表明:南京市1980年至2010年封闭土壤的有机碳含量显著减少,2010年土壤有机碳含量的均值为6.7 g/kg,比开放土壤低54.7%。土壤有机碳含量较低的区域主要分布在快速城市化的地区。由于封闭土壤阻碍了土壤有机碳的来源,造成封闭土壤有机碳含量持续减少,1980年至2010年间城市土壤有机碳库的总量减少约0.32 Tg。城市封闭对土壤有机碳影响的时空变化模拟可为研究城市化过程中的生态环境效应与城市生态建设提供参考。