Soil health in agricultural systems

Soil health is presented as an integrative property that reflects the capacity of soil to respond to agricultural intervention, so that it continues to support both the agricultural production and the provision of other ecosystem services. The major challenge within sustainable soil management is to conserve ecosystem service delivery while optimizing agricultural yields. It is proposed that soil health is dependent on the maintenance of four major functions: carbon transformations; nutrient cycles; soil structure maintenance; and the regulation of pests and diseases. Each of these functions is manifested as an aggregate of a variety of biological processes provided by a diversity of interacting soil organisms under the influence of the abiotic soil environment. Analysis of current models of the soil community under the impact of agricultural interventions (particularly those entailing substitution of biological processes with fossil fuel-derived energy or inputs) confirms the highly integrative pattern of interactions within each of these functions and leads to the conclusion that measurement of individual groups of organisms, processes or soil properties does not suffice to indicate the state of the soil health. A further conclusion is that quantifying the flow of energy and carbon between functions is an essential but non-trivial task for the assessment and management of soil health.     

重庆市野生重点保护植物资源

重庆市位于中国西南部三峡库区中心地带。境内海拔差异较大 ,北有大巴山 ,东有巫山 ,南有大娄山 ,西部为起伏和缓的丘陵。长江自西向东流贯全境 ,乌江和嘉陵江为重庆市境内长江的两大支流 ,地处热带与温带区系交错渗透的地带 ,气候温和 ,降水充沛 ,加之第四纪冰川时期没有直接受到北方大陆冰川的严重侵袭和破坏 ,为植物提供了良好的生存繁衍条件。因此 ,重庆市境内植物种类异常丰富。据调查统计 ,全市有高等植物 80 0 0余种 ,模式植物 80 0余种 ,保存着较多的珍稀濒危保护植物[1～ 3 ] 。作者对重庆市珍稀濒危植物进行了系统调查 ,旨在为其…     

Exclusion of agricultural lands in spatial conservation prioritization strategies: consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem service representation

Agroecosystems have traditionally been considered incompatible with biological conservation goals, and often been excluded from spatial conservation prioritization strategies. The consequences for the representativeness of identified priority areas have been little explored. Here, we evaluate these for biodiversity and carbon storage representation when agricultural land areas are excluded from a spatial prioritization strategy for South America. Comparing different prioritization approaches, we also assess how the spatial overlap of priority areas changes. The exclusion of agricultural lands was detrimental to biodiversity representation, indicating that priority areas for agricultural production overlap with areas of relatively high occurrence of species. By contrast, exclusion of agricultural lands benefits representation of carbon storage within priority areas, as lands of high value for agriculture and carbon storage overlap little. When agricultural lands were included and equally weighted with biodiversity and carbon storage, a balanced representation resulted. Our findings suggest that with appropriate management, South American agroecosystems can significantly contribute to biodiversity conservation.     

江苏野菜资源的利用与开发

江苏野菜资源丰富,共计１９２种,隶属４４科１０８属,其中蕨类植物７科１５属５１种,种子植物３７科９３属１４１种。江苏野菜利用历史悠久,近年已发展成为规模种植,产生良好的经济效益和社会效益。     

Biological characteristics of wild Cycas fairylakea population in Guangdong Province,China

There are five wild populations of Cycas fairylakea in Guangdong Province,China,three of which are newly found.A study of the biological characteristics of C.fairylakea populations showed that this species had a narrow colonization area within 300 hm2,and an island pattern of distribution.Because of the overexploitation,urbanization,environment pollution,plant diseases,and insect pests,the wild populations and individuals of C.fairylakea decreased markedly in the past decades.All five populations have an opposite pyramid age structure,few coning plants,few seed production,and low level of seed germination rate or sterility.In conclusion,C.fairylakea in Guangdong Province was threatened seriously and an urgent need to take effective efforts to protect the plants and habitats in its location sites was required.     

流域生态系统服务热点与冷点时空格局特征

生态系统服务热冷点的识别及其空间格局特征研究对生态保护规划有着重要的意义。目前有关生态系统服务热冷点的识别多采用直接分类法,缺乏对空间关系特征的综合研究。以延河流域为例,综合集成多源数据来模拟4种生态系统服务(土壤保持、植被碳固定、产水、洪水调节)的热点与冷点时空格局变化特征。主要结论为:(1)2001—2012年,延河流域土壤保持服务在流域下游高于上游,中游地区增长较快。植被碳固定服务和洪水调节服务在流域南部地区较强,且在中下游呈上升趋势。产水服务呈现\"南北低、中间高\"的分布格局,在流域上游呈下降趋势,在中下游呈上升趋势。(2)生态系统服务热点主要分布在延河中下游南部地区,冷点主要分布在延河上游地区。延河中下游南部地区4种生态系统服务均较强。生态系统服务保护效率最高的是延河上游。(3)延河流域林地的土壤保持服务、植被碳固定服务和洪水调节服务均强于其他土地利用类型,而产水服务较弱,湿地则相反。草地的土壤保持服务和植被碳固定服务相对较强。耕地的4种服务强于裸露地,裸露地的4种服务均较弱。湿地的土壤保持服务、植被碳固定服务和洪水调节服务保护效率最高,林地的产水服务保护效率最高。研究结果以期为流域生态系统服务保护与恢复决策提供理论支撑。     

国土空间生态修复与保护空间识别——以北京市为例

构建国土空间修复与保护识别体系可以有效实现区域生态系统修复与保护,然而,当前国土空间生态修复与保护研究和规划缺乏从系统性和完整性的角度识别关键生态修复与保护区。因此构建了系统的生态修复与保护空间识别方法,以实现区域协调发展、保障区域生态安全。基于该方法,以北京市为例,通过评估生态系统服务、生态系统质量和生态问题,构建生态修复与保护空间格局。研究结果表明：(1) 2000—2015年生态系统服务和质量退化区主要集中在平原区和密云水库北部,面积为760.4 km~2;生态系统质量低下区主要分布在西南部山区和东北部山区,面积为4925 km~2;水土流失问题区零星分布在山区,面积为130.1 km~2;基于以上三者的北京生态修复建议区总面积5606 km~2。(2)建议北京生态保护区6391 km~2,主要分布在北部山区和西南部山区,保护了79.63%的水源涵养功能,74.97%的土壤保持功能,58.79%的洪水调蓄功能和60.3%的自然栖息地。本研究构建的生态修复与保护空间识别方法体系,为北京生态修复和保护规划与生态安全格局构建提供科学依据,还可以为其他地区的生态修复与保护规划提供参考。     

Interactions between human behaviour and ecological systems

Research on the interactions between human behaviour and ecological systems tends to focus on the direct effects of human activities on ecosystems, such as biodiversity loss. There is also increasing research effort directed towards ecosystem services. However, interventions to control people's use of the environment alter the incentives that natural resource users face, and therefore their decisions about resource use. The indirect effects of conservation interventions on biodiversity, modulated through human decision-making, are poorly studied but are likely to be significant and potentially counterintuitive. This is particularly so where people are dependent on multiple natural resources for their livelihoods, when both poverty and biodiversity loss are acute. An inter-disciplinary approach is required to quantify these interactions, with an understanding of human decision-making at its core; otherwise, predictions about the impacts of conservation policies may be highly misleading.     

Investigating the risks of removing wild meat from global food systems

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三峡库区土壤保持时空分布特征及其驱动力

结合ArcGIS与通用土壤流失方程(RUSLE),研究了1990—2015年三峡库区土壤保持量的时空动态变化规律,并分析了气候、水文、地形、社会等因子对土壤保持功能的影响。结果表明:1990—2015年三峡库区年均土壤保持量为5.79×10⁹t (1004.23 t·hm^-2),森林、灌木、草地、农田、未利用地的土壤保持功能依次降低。25年间三峡库区单位面积土壤保持量变化范围为818.73～1280.50 t·hm^-2,2000年土壤保持服务功能最高。三峡库区土壤保持功能呈现东北高,西南低,长江沿岸及重庆主城区附近较低的空间分布趋势;土壤保持量随海拔增加呈现先增加后减小的趋势,海拔1000～1500 m的区域土壤保持能力最强;土壤保持量随坡度呈逐渐增加的趋势。海拔、坡度、降水、植被覆盖变化对土壤保持功能变化的贡献最大。人类活动干扰是土壤保持功能变化的主要驱动力。加强生态保护与修复,统筹治理,降低人为干扰,有助于提升三峡库区生态安全。     

陕北黄土高原土地利用变化对第一性生产生态服务功能价值的影响

土地是一切陆地生态系统的载体,人类的一切活动同样离不开土地,在人类改造和利用自然的过程中不可避免地要影响各类生态系统的状况进而影响到它们为人类所提供的服务与功能。而第一性生产服务功能是生态系统服务功能主要特征之一。本文在地理信息系统的支持下,利用陕北黄土高原3期土地利用数据,估算了土地利用变化引起的生态系统服务价值的变化,结果表明,1996年区域NPP生态系统服务功能价值比1986年增加了1·17×108元;2001年生态服务功能价值比1986年增加了3·37×108元。因此,实施退耕还林、还草、遏制景观破碎化过程,合理控制城镇建设用地的扩展,是提高区域生态系统服务功能的有效途径。     

Biodiversity in the context of ecosystem services: the applied need for systems approaches

Recent evidence strongly suggests that biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation continue. How might a systems approach to ecology help us better understand and address these issues? Systems approaches play a very limited role in the science that underpins traditional biodiversity conservation, but could provide important insights into mechanisms that affect population growth. This potential is illustrated using data from a critically endangered bird population. Although species-specific insights have practical value, the main applied challenge for a systems approach is to help improve our understanding of the role of biodiversity in the context of ecosystem services (ES) and the associated values and benefits people derive from these services. This has profound implications for the way we conceptualize and address ecological problems. Instead of focusing directly on biodiversity, the important response variables become measures of values and benefits, ES or ecosystem processes. We then need to understand the sensitivity of these variables to biodiversity change relative to other abiotic or anthropogenic factors, which includes exploring the role of variability at different levels of biological organization. These issues are discussed using the recent UK National Ecosystems Assessment as a framework.     

Biodiversity of soil microbial communities in agricultural systems

The productivity and health of agricultural systems depend greatly upon the functional processes carried out by soil microorganisms and soil microbial communities. The biodiversity of the soil microbial communities and the effect of diversity on the stability of the agricultural system, is unknown. Taxonomic approaches to estimating biodiversity of soil microbial communities are limited by difficulties in defining suitable taxonomic units and the apparent non-culturability of the majority of the microbial species present in the soil. Analysis of functional diversity may be a more meaningful approach but is also limited by the need to culture organisms. Approaches which do not rely on culturing organisms such as fatty acid analysis and 16S/18S rRNA analysis have provided an insight into the extent of genetic diversity within communities and may be useful in the analysis of community structure. Scale effects, including successional processes associated with organic matter decomposition, local effects associated with abiotic soil factors, and regional effects including the effect of agricultural management practices, on the diversity of microbial communities are considered. Their impact is important in relation to the minimum biodiversity required to maintain system function.     

Bayesian analyses of admixture in wild and domestic cats (Felis silvestris) using linked microsatellite loci

Methods recently developed to infer population structure and admixture mostly use individual genotypes described by unlinked neutral markers. However, Hardy-Weinberg and linkage disequilibria among independent markers decline rapidly with admixture time, and the admixture signals could be lost in a few generations. In this study, we aimed to describe genetic admixture in 182 European wild and domestic cats (Felis silvestris), which hybridize sporadically in Italy and extensively in Hungary. Cats were genotyped at 27 microsatellites, including 21 linked loci mapping on five distinct feline linkage groups. Genotypes were analysed with structure 2.1, a Bayesian procedure designed to model admixture linkage disequilibrium, which promises to assess efficiently older admixture events using tightly linked markers. Results showed that domestic and wild cats sampled in Italy were split into two distinct clusters with average proportions of membership Q > 0.90, congruent with prior morphological identifications. In contrast, free-living cats sampled in Hungary were assigned partly to the domestic and the wild cat clusters, with Q < 0.50. Admixture analyses of individual genotypes identified, respectively, 5/61 (8%), and 16-20/65 (25-31%) hybrids among the Italian wildcats and Hungarian free-living cats. Similar results were obtained in the past using unlinked loci, although the new linked markers identified additional admixed wildcats in Italy. Linkage analyses confirm that hybridization is limited in Italian, but widespread in Hungarian wildcats, a population that is threatened by cross-breeding with free-ranging domestic cats. The total panel of 27 loci performed better than the linked loci alone in the identification of domestic and known hybrid cats, suggesting that a large number of linked plus unlinked markers can improve the results of admixture analyses. Inferred recombination events led to identify the population of origin of chromosomal segments, suggesting that admixture mapping experiments can be designed also in wild populations.     

The Role of Golf Courses in Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Management

We assessed the ecological value of golf courses based on a quantitative synthesis of studies in the scientific literature that have measured and compared biota on golf courses to that of biota in green-area habitats related to other land uses. We found that golf courses had higher ecological value in 64% of comparative cases. This pattern was consistent also for comparisons based on measures of species richness, as well as for comparisons of overall measures of birds and insects—the fauna groups most widely examined in the studies. Many golf courses also contribute to the preservation of fauna of conservation concern. More broadly, we found that the ecological value of golf courses significantly decreases with land types having low levels of anthropogenic impact, like natural and nature-protected areas. Conversely, the value of golf courses significantly increases with land that has high levels of anthropogenic impact, like agricultural and urban lands. From an ecosystem management perspective, golf courses represent a promising measure for restoring and enhancing biodiversity in ecologically simplified landscapes. Furthermore, the review suggests that golf courses hold a real potential to be designed and managed to promote critical ecosystem services, like pollination and natural pest control, providing an opportunity for joint collaboration among conservation, restoration and recreational interests. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. J.C. have designed the study, performed research, the analysis of data and writing the paper, and C.F. has especially contributed to the latter two.     

The role of community-based wild resource management in Zimbabwe

Wildlife was in decline in Zimbabwe while the resource was being managed centrally by the State in terms of conventional protectionist legislation. The legislation was changed in 1960 and this led to cautious institutional reforms, whereby responsibility for wildlife was gradually devolved to landholders who were encouraged to use it profitably. This was achieved without the State abrogating its ultimate responsibility for the wellbeing of the resource.The CAMPFIRE programme was a response to the particular requirements of communally managed wild resources. Successful implementation required that appropriate institutions were in place. These allowed the peasants a meaningful say in the management of their wildlife and permitted them to use it profitably to generate a sufficient incentive to persuade them to conserve the resource on their land. As on large-scale commercial ranches, socio-economic factors proved more significant than ecological considerations in preserving wildlife on communally occupied land that is representative of much of Africa and the Third World.Former Director of National Parks and Wild Life Management, Zimbabwe.     

Ecological roles of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in two wild legume plants

Two wild legume plants,Glycine soja andCassia mimosoides var.nomame, and a cultivated plant, soybean (Glycine max), were employed for a study of triple symbiosis with an inoculum ofScutellispora heterogama harvested from natural soils and an inoculum of their own rhizobial cells. The dry weight, colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, nodule formation and N₂-fixation activity were estimated as the parameters of triple symbiosis. The two wild legume plants showed greater growth with colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizae than with nodulation, whereas the cultivated legume showed more nodulation than colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizae. Moreover,S. heterogama appeared to stimulate the triple symbiosis for the wild legume plants. The results suggested that spores ofS. heterogama are important in disturbed soils in Korea.