Insect effects on ecosystem services—Introduction

Natural ecosystems provide a variety of services on which humans, and other organisms, depend for survival and well-being. These ecosystem services can be categorized as provisioning (production of food, fiber, water and other resources), cultural (non-material benefits, such as recreation, spiritual and other aesthetic values), supporting (primary production, pollination, decomposition and soil formation necessary for resource production) and regulating (biological control and other feedback mechanisms that maintain relatively consistent delivery of services). Ecosystems also have been viewed as producing “disservices”, such as pests, litter, biological hazards such as diseases, animal attacks, allergenic and poisonous organisms, and geophysical hazards such as floods and storms. Many of these disservices are induced by management practices such as deforestation and concentration of agricultural crops. Insects affect ecosystem services in a variety of ways, positively and negatively. The papers in this special issue are focused on managing insects and ecosystems, and their interactions, in ways that ensure sustainability of ecosystem services and that minimize induction of disservices.     

栾城县农田生态系统服务功能正负效应综合评价

农田生态系统具有半自然半人工化特性,其既接受相邻生态系统提供的服务,也对其他生态系统产生正、负双面性影响.本文根据生态系统服务的内涵,建立了高产农田生态系统服务功能正负效应评价指标与方法体系,并利用环境经济学方法,对2008年栾城县农田生态系统服务功能的正负效应价值进行了综合评价.结果表明:1)栾城县农田生态系统服务功能的正、负效应价值分别为46.20×108元和4.05×108元;2)农产品生产功能价值为17.61×108元,是栾城县农田生态系统最主要的服务功能;3)不合理的农业活动造成农田生态系统服务功能整体效益的下降,扣除环境成本后的净效益值与农产品价值之比由扣除前的2.62∶1降低为2.39∶1;4)地下水资源紧缺是栾城县农田生态系统最突出的生态问题,其造成的环境成本占总环境成本的76.0％.     

城市绿地生态评价研究进展

城市绿地的科学评价为绿地的规划和管理提供了参考,对人们正确认识和改造绿地建设起着重要的作用,为城市绿地生态功能的发挥提供了重要的依据和保障。以绿地结构的评价为基础,总结了城市绿地生态功能、服务评价、健康评价的方法和研究进展;提出了城市绿地生态风险评价的基本方法并概括了城市绿地可持续评价的研究方向。结果显示:当前城市绿地的生态评价在范围上逐渐从微观尺度发展到宏观尺度,日益强调绿地的生态服务功能,重点关注于绿地的碳储量与降温增湿功能与效益评价以及价值化研究;城市绿地的健康评价和可持续性评价均尚处于初级的探索阶段。指出了城市绿地生态评价的关键在于评价结果在管理和规划中的应用,在评价内容上必须关注各部分的结合,在评价方法上应该借助基础研究的长期监测、评价的量化以及多学科交叉的渗透。     

石羊河流域生态系统服务权衡与协同关系研究

生态系统服务权衡与协同研究是国际生态学、地理学等学科研究的热点。以石羊河流域为研究区,借助In VEST模型,对流域2005、2010和2015年的水源涵养、土壤保持、水质净化、碳储存和生物多样性五项服务进行精准测度,分析服务的时空格局及演变特征,并利用相关系数法逐像元定量计算5种服务之间的权衡与协同关系,从不同尺度分析权衡与协同关系的空间格局特征。结果表明:(1)各项服务具有空间异质性:水源涵养、土壤保持、碳储存、生物多样性呈"西南高-东北低"的空间格局,且水质净化、碳储存服务的高值区沿河流分布。(2) 10年期间,水源涵养、水质净化、碳储存、生物多样性服务呈现"整体增加-局部减少"的变化趋势,而土壤保持呈"整体减少-局部增加"的变化特征。(3)多种服务之间权衡与协同关系具有区域依赖特征:水源涵养与土壤保持、水源涵养与水质净化、水质净化与碳储存、水质净化与生物多样性、土壤保持与碳储存、土壤保持与生物多样性以权衡关系为主;水源涵养与碳储存、水源涵养与生物多样性、土壤保持与水质净化、碳储存与生物多样性以协同关系为主。定量可视化评估生态系统服务及权衡关系,为制定区域发展与生态保护双赢政策提供依据,同时也为其他流域的相关研究提供可靠参考。     

植物-土壤反馈理论及其在自然和农田生态系统中的应用研究进展

植物-土壤反馈理论最早源于农业生产,近年来已成为生态学上研究植被动态变化、群落组成和功能,以及生态系统响应人为干扰、气候变化等众多热点问题的重要理论和方法支撑。总结了植物-土壤反馈定义和类型,分析了反馈机制,在此基础上综述了该理论在自然生态系统中的应用,包括物种入侵、群落演替、植物共存及多样性形成、植物多样性-生产力关系、多营养级交互作用以及响应气候变化等关键生态学命题。探讨了植物-土壤反馈理论在农田生态系统中的应用,介绍了该理论在提高多样化种植体系生产力、土壤污染修复、种植体系设计等方面的进展和潜在应用价值。提出了植物-土壤反馈理论在未来发展中进一步研究的方向,对应用该理论提高生态系统服务功能,促进可持续发展等方面进行了展望。     

生态系统服务制图研究进展

生态系统服务是生态学研究的前沿方向之一,生态系统服务制图是将生态系统服务的评估结果纳入到生态环境保护规划与管理决策制定与实施过程中的重要组成部分。生态系统服务制图是根据决策需求,选择合适的制图评价方法,对特定时空尺度上生态系统服务的空间分布以及在各种自然-社会因素共同影响下生态系统服务的情景变化进行量化描述的过程。它最终为决策参与者提供研究区域生态系统服务时空变化特征具体的、可视的量化描述,辅助决策者权衡利弊,最终制定出符合区域生态环境与人类社会共同可持续发展的最优决策。综述了生态系统服务制图的内涵及其在辅助决策过程中的重要作用;介绍了生态系统服务的重点研究内容(生态系统服务的提供、需求及权衡协同关系制图)及研究方法;并对目前研究中所存在的问题进行了深入的探讨,归纳了生态系统服务的制图评价流程及未来重点的研究方向。     

Global Mapping of Ecosystem Disservices: The Unspoken Reality that Nature Sometimes Kills us

Increasingly, we view nature through a utilitarian lens that leads us to attempt to measure and manage the services that species, habitats and ecosystems provide. Surprisingly, we have tended to consider only the positive values of ecosystems, their ecosystem services. In addition to providing our food and water, Nature also kills us, primarily through disease. If we are to effectively manage the terrestrial Earth, we need to also manage species, habitats and ecosystems so as to minimize such ‘ecosystem disservices’. I consider what we know about the spatial pattern of one disservice, pathogen prevalence and how changes in habitat influence it. I consider the effects of habitat changes on pathogen prevalence and, consequently, ecosystem disservices. In the end, we need to weigh both the costs and the benefits of particular ecosystems, habitats and species – to consider the bad with the good. Doing so requires that we learn much more about the biota than we currently know.     

农业景观异质性对生物多样性与生态系统服务的影响研究进展

农业景观是人类生活所需资料的最主要来源地,农业景观及其提供的生物多样性和生态系统服务是影响人类福祉的最主要因素之一。系统梳理了景观异质性变化对生物多样性和生态系统服务影响的相关研究,总结指出:(1)农业景观格局变化会强烈的影响着区域生物多样性和生态系统服务,但总体上更关注了空间异质性,对于时间和功能异质性的研究仍需加强;(2)尺度效应、大尺度上景观背景的差异、种间差异、营养级联效应等会对景观异质性和生物多样性、生态系统服务间的关系产生显著的、综合的、交互的影响效应。未来区域农业景观中如何通过景观构建和管理措施的施行来确保生物多样性与生态系统服务供给的持续稳定仍需进一步加强以下内容的研究:景观异质性变化在时间上和功能上的影响效应及其阈值的探讨;跨尺度、多因素、多物种类群与多生态系统服务的综合及其交互作用;不同生物类群和不同生态系统服务间的权衡;景观异质性提高与有效生境面积下降及其引起的生物随机丧失间的权衡等问题。     

Land management implications for ecosystem services in a South African rangeland

In South Africa, restoration and sustainable management of historically overgrazed and degraded rangelands are promoted to increase biodiversity and ecosystem service provision. This study evaluates different land management scenarios in terms of ecosystem services in a South African rangeland, the Baviaanskloof catchment. As measured data were limited, we used simple models to quantify and map the effect of the different combination of agricultural, nature conservation and restoration practices on multiple ecosystem services. The land management scenarios were evaluated against management targets set for individual ecosystem services. Results highlight how the provision of ecosystem services is related to land management as unmanaged, pristine ecosystems provide a different mix of ecosystem services than ecosystems recently restored or managed as grazing lands. Results also indicate that historically overgrazed lands provide no forage, may retain 40% less sediment and have 38% lower biodiversity, while providing 60% more fuel wood and supplying two and half times more water (i.e. retaining less water), than pristine or restored lands. We conclude that a combination of light grazing, low input agriculture, nature conservation and restoration is the best for the sufficient provision of multiple ecosystem services. Applying such mixed management would improve biodiversity, ecotourism and maintain forage production and regulating services on farmers’ land. This management option also fits into and further optimizes local decision-makers’ vision regarding the future management of the area.     

Unpacking Pandora’s Box: Understanding and Categorising Ecosystem Disservices for Environmental Management and Human Wellbeing

Research into the benefits that ecosystems contribute to human wellbeing has multiplied over the last few years following from the seminal contributions of the international Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. In comparison, the fact that some ecosystem goods and services undermine or harm human wellbeing has been seriously overlooked. These negative impacts have become known as ecosystem disservices. The neglect of ecosystem disservices is problematic because investments into the management or reduction of ecosystem disservices may yield better outcomes for human wellbeing, or at a lower investment, than management of ecosystem services. Additionally, management to optimise specific ecosystem services may simultaneously exacerbate associated disservices. We posit that one reason for the neglect of ecosystem disservices from the discourse and policy debates around ecosystems and human wellbeing is because there is no widely accepted definition or typology of ecosystem disservices. Here, we briefly examine current understandings of the term ecosystem disservices and offer a definition and a working typology to help generate debate, policy and management options around ecosystem disservices. We differentiate ecosystem disservices from natural hazards and social hazards, consider some of their inherent properties and then classify them into six categories. A variety of examples are used to illustrate the different types of, and management strategies to, ecosystem disservices.     

生物多样性与生态系统服务情景模拟研究进展

生物多样性和生态系统服务情景模拟是指对未来生物多样性和生态系统服务变化轨迹的定量估计,二者相互关联并为长期、稳定的保护和恢复生态系统提供了重要科学依据。梳理生物多样性以及生态系统服务预测情景的核心观点,讨论基于生物多样性和生态系统服务情景模拟的保护决策支持途径,以期服务于我国生物多样性与生态系统服务预测研究的发展和深化。研究凝练结果如下:物种分布模型需要进行更规范的评价以明晰其对具体对象的适用性,生态系统预测模型亟待在关系结构的基础上嵌入更多的生态系统过程和社会经济过程,生态系统服务评估模型有必要强化对生物多样性、生态系统服务、人类福祉级联特征的刻画;全球气候变化驱动了未来区域生物多样性的大幅改变;土地利用则是陆地生态系统服务预测中的核心驱动变量。生态区划与区域尺度情景模拟、景观尺度下的生态安全格局构建、基于社会生态网络的社区适应三点重要展望方向将对基于情景模拟的我国生态系统保护决策提供重要的理论和实践支持。     

Are soils in urban ecosystems compacted? A citywide analysis

Soil compaction adversely influences most terrestrial ecosystem services on which humans depend. This global problem, affecting over 68 million ha of agricultural land alone, is a major driver of soil erosion, increases flood frequency and reduces groundwater recharge. Agricultural soil compaction has been intensively studied, but there are no systematic studies investigating the extent of compaction in urban ecosystems, despite the repercussions for ecosystem function. Urban areas are the fastest growing land-use type globally, and are often assumed to have highly compacted soils with compromised functionality. Here, we use bulk density (BD) measurements, taken to 14 cm depth at a citywide scale, to compare the extent of surface soil compaction between different urban greenspace classes and agricultural soils. Urban soils had a wider BD range than agricultural soils, but were significantly less compacted, with 12 per cent lower mean BD to 7 cm depth. Urban soil BD was lowest under trees and shrubs and highest under herbaceous vegetation (e.g. lawns). BD values were similar to many semi-natural habitats, particularly those underlying woody vegetation. These results establish that, across a typical UK city, urban soils were in better physical condition than agricultural soils and can contribute to ecosystem service provision.     

专业化茶叶种植影响下的农业生态系统服务功能价值评价——以福建省安溪县为例

饮茶已逐渐成为世界潮流与时尚,不断扩大的茶叶需求正不断刺激茶叶的增产,茶叶经济发展受到世界瞩目,但关于规模化、专业化茶叶种植对农业生态系统的影响却未得到相应的关注。为研究规模不断扩大的专业化茶叶种植对农业生态系统的影响,以专业化茶叶种植大县安溪县为研究对象,通过构建由供给、调节和支持正、负服务组成的农业生态系统服务功能价值评价指标体系,结合能值法,从不同专业化茶叶种植水平、不同农业种植结构、不同地貌类型三个方面进行评估分析。研究结果表明:(1)安溪县以专业化茶叶种植为主的农业生态系统中供给、调节和支持三大服务功能的正服务价值都大于负服务价值,系统以提供正服务为主;(2)专业化茶叶种植具有较高的经济效益和较好的气体、气候调节能力,对农业生态系统中的供给与调节功能具有正效应;(3)但专业化种植过程中造成的土壤流失情况也较为严重,对农业生态系统支持功能的负面影响较大;(4)"茶-蔬"、"茶-果"等复合生态茶树种植结构有利于提高农业生态系统服务功能,实现茶叶经济与农业生态系统的和谐发展。     

城郊生态系统土壤安全:问题与挑战

土壤作为地球表层系统物质和能量迁移转化的关键节点,其生态功能受到城市化快速发展的严重影响,土壤安全面临严峻的挑战。城郊生态系统受到城市和乡村的双重影响,具有复杂的景观结构和剧烈的动态变化,土壤安全问题更为突出和复杂。基于文献计量学方法,对1990—2017年发表的相关文献进行了统计,梳理和总结了城郊生态系统土壤安全研究的趋势和热点问题,对城郊生态系统中土壤安全面临的问题,及其特殊性、复杂性进行了重点论述,明确了当前快速城市化发展过程中城郊土壤安全研究面临的问题和挑战。建议今后的城郊生态系统土壤安全研究应加强区域尺度上的综合和不同城市发展模式下地区之间的比较,明确城市扩张对城郊生态系统土壤安全的影响机制;建立和完善基于"土壤安全"的城郊生态系统服务评价框架,深入研究城郊生态系统格局-过程-服务之间的关系;明确解析城郊土壤主要污染物来源及其复合污染状况,并结合区域特征,因地制宜开展科学的生态规划,优化城郊景观格局,提升城郊地区土壤安全与生态系统服务功能;明确土壤安全在城郊生态系统可持续发展目标中的重要性,建立科学合理的管理政策。     

Using faecal metabarcoding to examine consumption of crop pests and beneficial arthropods in communities of generalist avian insectivores

Generalist insectivorous birds can provide ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes by consuming arthropod pests, or they can provide disservices when they consume beneficial arthropods. To examine bird impacts on arthropod communities, including pest control services, we need to know which arthropods birds commonly consume. Faecal metabarcoding is an emerging technique that can be used to identify prey from faecal samples, often to the species level. We used faecal metabarcoding to study diets of birds inhabiting the ecotone between soybean fields and adjacent grasslands in a largely agricultural landscape in Illinois, USA, during the summer of 2017. Whereas previous studies have used faecal metabarcoding to compare bird diets among species or among capture sites, we analysed samples from multiple species within a community at replicate sites. We collected and sequenced DNA from 132 faecal samples from 25 bird species captured at six sites. We found that birds consumed an extremely large and varied diet that differed among both species and sites, suggesting that birds were consuming prey opportunistically as available at each site. Of the nine most commonly detected prey species, three are known pests of soybeans. Bird diets also contained significantly more species of herbivorous prey than natural enemies. Finally, we discovered that American Goldfinches Spinus tristis, a highly granivorous species, may consume arthropods more frequently than expected and thus may provide ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes. Our study demonstrates that birds within this system consume a large variety of prey, suggesting that they may be able to respond quickly to pest outbreaks and contribute to agricultural resiliency.     

中国内陆湿地生态系统服务价值评估——以71个湿地案例点为数据源

湿地生态系统为人类生存和发展提供了多种服务功能,不仅包括水资源、水产品等直接输出功能,还包括调蓄洪水、净化水质、调节大气成分等调节服务功能和文化服务功能。通过对已经发表湿地生态系统服务功能价值评价相关的文献进行搜集和整理,得到全国71个湿地案例点的价值评价数据,在此基础上对湿地生态系统各项服务功能在全国各区域的生态系统价值量进行对比分析。全国湿地价值评价结果显示,按照各项服务功能按照价值量高低排序依次为调节气候调蓄洪水涵养水源净化水质保持土壤产品输出固碳释氧生物栖息地旅游休闲科研教育。在对全国湿地进行分区分析得知,东北平原及山区、东部地区和青藏高原地区在各项调节、供给服务功能方面发挥着显著的积极作用,这3个区域同时也是我国湿地的密集分布区。结合不同地理分区下的湿地生态系统服务功能价值量特点,可以实现区域发展与湿地生态环境研究的协同发展,并能够为湿地的保护和建设起到科学、合理的参考方案。     

土壤生物与可持续农业研究进展

农业的可持续发展是人类文明持续繁荣的重要保障。从原始农业到工业化农业的发展历程,是"自然力"不断削弱,"人为调控力"不断加强的过程。新兴的可持续农业,则希望将人为调控和自然过程协调融合,建立近自然的高效的现代农业体系。但是,面对土壤生物极高的多样性、生物和非生物过程的复杂互作及其高度的时空异质性,基于还原论的传统科学研究方法探究地下生态系统的"自然过程"困难重重。人为管理措施对农田生态过程调控的针对性和调控效果受到极大限制。尽管如此,土壤生物在生态系统服务中的作用已在世界范围内得到空前重视。如何充分发挥土壤生物在可持续农业中的作用,已成为现代农业研究领域的重要突破口。简述了土壤生物与可持续农业研究的学科发展历史,总结了农业管理措施对土壤生物及土壤食物网特征的影响,突出了土壤生物群落在可持续农业模式中土壤结构改善、土壤肥力提高和化肥农药减施等方面的积极作用;最后探讨了当前的研究难点和未来的研究方向,并对如何充分发挥土壤生物在现代农业中的贡献进行了初步的思考。认为:土壤有机质,土壤结构和土壤食物网以及三者的内在联系是可持续农业研究的关键。土壤有机质管理是调控土壤结构、土壤食物网及生态系统生...     

基于管理目标的湖泊生态系统动力学

基于生态系统管理的目标,在对相关研究分析的基础上,依据生态系统生态学、淡水生态学的理论,提出了湖泊生态系统动力学研究的2个理论基础：生态系统管理和生态系统特征.在此基础上,分析得到湖泊生态系统动力学的研究方法体系,主要包括研究内容与技术路线、关键问题识别和动力学模拟、湖泊生态系统的适应性管理决策等部分.其中,湖泊生态系统结构和过程、湖泊中食物网营养动力学研究、生源要素循环、湖泊中关键过程的生态作用以及湖泊生态系统动力学模拟是研究的核心问题.此后,以P为主要的生源要素,将生态系统分为3个子过程：入流、出流和内部反馈,并以此建立了湖泊生态系统动力学的模型框架,以辅助于湖泊的生态系统管理.     

The functional response and resilience in small waterbodies along land‐use and environmental gradients

There is growing recognition of the essential services provided to humanity by functionally intact ecosystems. Freshwater ecosystems are found throughout agricultural and urban landscapes and provide a wide range of ecosystem services, but globally they are also amongst the most vulnerable. In particular, ponds (lentic waters typically less than 2 ha), provide natural flood management, sequester carbon and hold significant cultural value. However, to inform their management it is important to understand (1) how functional diversity varies in response to disturbance and (2) the link between biodiversity conservation and ecosystem function. In this study, a meta‐analysis of seven separate pond studies from across England and Wales was carried out to explore the effect of urban and agricultural land‐use gradients, shading, emergent vegetation, surface area and pH upon groups of functionally similar members of the macroinvertebrate fauna. Functional effect groups were first identified by carrying out a hierarchical cluster analysis using body size, voltinism and feeding habits (18 categories) that are closely related to biogeochemical processes (e.g. nutrient and carbon recycling). Secondly, the influence of the gradients upon effect group membership (functional redundancy—FR) and the breadth of traits available to aid ecosystem recovery (response diversity) was assessed using species counts and functional dispersion (FDis) using 12 response traits. The effect of land‐use gradients was unpredictable, whilst there was a negative response in both FR and FDis to shading and positive responses to increases in emergent vegetation cover and surface area. An inconsistent association between FDis and FR suggested that arguments for taxonomic biodiversity conservation to augment ecosystem functioning are too simplistic. Thus, a deeper understanding of the response of functional diversity to disturbance could have greater impact with decision‐makers who may relate better to the loss of ecosystem function in response to environmental degradation than species loss alone.     

生态系统服务竞争与协同研究进展

生态系统服务作为生态系统评估的核心领域,是生态学的研究热点。生态系统提供服务的形式与能力受人类活动强烈影响,反之,生态系统服务的变化又影响着人类相关决策的制定。不同生态系统服务之间很难甚至不可能同时达到利益最大化,即存在着不同程度此消彼长的竞争关系。此外,不同生态系统服务之间也可能形成相互促进或抑制的协同作用。探讨不同生态系统服务的相互关系(竞争与协同作用),有利于揭示不同尺度利益相关方与生态系统服务之间的作用与反馈机制,避免生态系统服务的重复估算;同时可为制定与实施生态补偿、提高人类福祉提供科学依据,优化生态系统服务管理。综合研究了近期国外生态系统服务竞争关系与协同作用的相关文献,在简述当前生态系统服务研究若干问题的基础上,以生态系统服务竞争与协同为视角,厘清了生态系统服务竞争与协同的基本内涵,总结了生态系统服务竞争与协同的主要类型,探讨了生态系统服务竞争与协同的空间与时间尺度效应;介绍并总结了生态系统服务竞争与协同两种主要研究方法(生态-经济综合模型方法、基于土地利用的情景分析法)的特点与适应范围。