Indicating ecosystem and landscape organisation

This paper presents a brief outline of the theoretical and conceptual fundamentals for the derivation of an ecosystem oriented indicator system to demonstrate the state of ecological entities on a holistic basis. There are two branches of argumentation: on a normative level, the sustainability principle is interpreted from an anthropocentric point-of-view; sustainability in this context means to provide ecosystem services on a broad scale and a long-term basis, including the attempt to avoid unspecific ecological risks. A second line-of-argumentation bases on the principles of ecosystem analysis and the theory of ecological orientation. Consequently, the aspired indicandum is the self-organising capacity of ecosystems, and the indicator sets represents an aggregate of structural and functional ecosystem features in a developing environment. The indicator set is demonstrated by one case study from the Bornhoeved Lakes ecosystem research project.     

Effectiveness of entropy-based functions in the analysis of ecosystem state and development

Following the advances in the field of the thermodynamics of far-from-equilibrium systems, several ecological orientors (indicators able to describe the stage and orientation of ecosystem development) incorporating entropy terms have been proposed. Although most of the proposed functions have a good theoretical basis and have proved to perform adequately as ecological indicators, their suitability as ecological orientors has yet to receive a full confirmation in real case studies. The aim of the present contribution is to examine how several entropy-based indicators (exergy, structural information, entropy production, specific entropy production and the Eco-exergy index) perform as orientors when applied to a special case of ecological succession, i.e. eutrophication, in a homogeneous set of shallow lakes lying along a trophic gradient, from oligotrophy to hyper-eutrophy. The results show that a coherent pattern of response emerge, which is also consistent with the classical ecological theory. In particular, the maximisation of storage and the minimisation of specific entropy production are confirmed as the most reliable principles of ecosystem development, whereas the maximisation of dissipation (as entropy production) appears as a debatable criterion of development.     

How do ecologists select and use indicator species to monitor ecological change? Insights from 14 years of publication in Ecological Indicators

Indicator species (IS) are used to monitor environmental changes, assess the efficacy of management, and provide warning signals for impending ecological shifts. Though widely adopted in recent years by ecologists, conservation biologists, and environmental practitioners, the use of IS has been criticized for several reasons, notably the lack of justification behind the choice of any given indicator. In this review, we assess how ecologists have selected, used, and evaluated the performance of the indicator species. We reviewed all articles published in Ecological Indicators (EI) between January 2001 and December 2014, focusing on the number of indicators used (one or more); common taxa employed; terminology, application, and rationale behind selection criteria; and performance assessment methods. Over the last 14 years, 1914 scientific papers were published in EI, describing studies conducted in 53 countries on six continents; of these, 817 (43%) used biological organisms as indicators. Terms used to describe organisms in IS research included “ecological index”, “environmental index”, “indicator species”, “bioindicator”, and “biomonitor,” but these and other terms often were not clearly defined. Twenty percent of IS publications used only a single species as an indicator; the remainder used groups of species as indicators. Nearly 50% of the taxa used as indicators were animals, 70% of which were invertebrates. The most common applications behind the use of IS were to: monitor ecosystem or environmental health and integrity (42%); assess habitat restoration (18%); and assess effects of pollution and contamination (18%). Indicators were chosen most frequently based on previously cited research (40%), local abundance (5%), ecological significance and/or conservation status (13%), or a combination of two or more of these reasons (25%). Surprisingly, 17% of the reviewed papers cited no clear justification for their choice of indicator. The vast majority (99%) of publications used statistical methods to assess the performance of the selected indicators. This review not only improves our understanding of the current uses and applications of IS, but will also inform practitioners about how to better select and evaluate ecological indicators when conducting future IS research.     

基于文献计量的21世纪以来我国生态系统服务研究现状及发展趋势

生态系统服务作为生态文明建设的核心内容,近年来一直受到国内外学者的广泛关注。为进一步探究我国生态系统服务领域的研究进展与发展趋势,基于文献计量法,运用Citespace软件对中国知网中以\"生态系统服务\"为主题的1349篇中文社会科学引文索引（CSSCI）期刊论文进行可视化分析。结果显示：①我国生态系统服务领域的研究在时间上呈现出明显的\"萌芽-起步-快速发展\"三阶段特征;②生态系统服务领域的研究学者和科研机构间均存在较为密切的合作关系;③目前国内关于生态系统服务领域的研究主要集中在\"生态系统服务价值\" \"生态补偿\" \"土地利用\"生态安全\"等方面;④按照关键词突现时间顺序,生态领域研究前沿可分为理论探索（2000-2008年）、初步实践（2009-2016年）、全面开花（2017-年至今）三个阶段。最后详细总结了我国生态系统服务研究领域取得的成就、面临的挑战和未来的改进空间,并在此基础上提出加快完善生态系统服务价值核算、建立健全生态系统服务价值实现机制等政策建议。     

Information pyramids for informed biodiversity conservation

We discuss a paradigm for informed ecosystem management that provides a quantitative and rigorous foundation for informing conservation decisions and sustainable ecosystem management. Information pyramids incorporate conceptual and technological advances in ecosystem depiction and provide a framework for the integration and generalization of raw data into forms that are spatially extensive and at the appropriate level of generalization for a particular use. The basic tenets of the pyramid are: (1) Higher levels of the pyramid are entirely derived from a foundation of underlying data. (2) The process of generalization and integration upward should be objective and explicit. (3) Pyramids for different purposes often overlap, with common data and common methods for integration. (4) All levels of the pyramid should be developed together, including base data, methods and kinds of integration, and algorithms for using the information for planning and decision-making. Information pyramids are a powerful approach to organizing research science, and provide a mechanism by which research, data collection, storage and generalization can be focused on conservation outcomes. Common data and methods lead to increased efficiency, while also allowing for separate disciplines and programs. A case study of an integrated pyramid from New Zealand is discussed, which illustrates the characteristics of information pyramids. Components of this pyramid are discussed that provide examples of integration and generalization at various levels of the pyramid, from base data, to derived data, to spatial predictions and classifications, to a method of integrating this information into conservation decisions.     

Spatial and temporal response of multiple trait-based indices to natural- and anthropogenic seafloor disturbance (effluents)

To support ecosystem-based management and achieve the Good Environmental Status (GES) of marine waters it is important to better comprehend the relationships between biodiversity and environmental disturbance (anthropogenic and natural). Biotic indices are widely used in studies to help understanding these relationships and to assess the environmental status of waters. In recent years, trait-based indices rapidly emerged as an alternative ‘functional’ approach to serve this purpose. In this study, we analysed how two indices based upon the mean (community-weighted mean trait value–CWM) and the diversity of multiple traits (Rao’s quadratic entropy–Rao) in a macroinvertebrate community respond to natural- and anthropogenic seafloor disturbance (effluents) and we compared their performance with the widely used AMBI and M-AMBI. Our results demonstrate that CWM and Rao were not effective in indicating anthropogenic disturbance in the Basque coast, Bay of Biscay. The main reason was probably that many traits did not have a strong link with this type of disturbance. Besides, the mechanistic links between certain traits and their response to anthropogenic seafloor disturbance in marine environments is currently not well understood. From a management perspective: the CWM does not provide a single value indicating a quality status, which makes it a difficult tool to use and interpret. This index is probably more useful for scientists who want to explore and understand different aspects of community functioning. On the other hand, Rao and other indices expressing trait diversity do provide a single value of functioning; therefore they could potentially be effectively used for management purposes. However, to improve its performance, detailed and accurate trait data is required, which is currently lacking for many marine species.     

武汉东湖水生植被重建及水质改善试验研究

为明晰漳泽水库生态系统的基本特征, 估算滤食性鱼类鲢(Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)、鳙(Aristichys nobilis)的生态容量, 探究鲢鳙增殖放流过程对生态系统的影响, 根据2022—2023年的渔业资源调查数据构建漳泽水库Ecopath模型。结果显示, 漳泽水库生态系统的联结程度相对紧密, 整体上稳定性较差且处于不成熟阶段。鲢、鳙的生态容量分别为161.5和70.3 t/km², 分别为当前生物量的3.549和1.947倍, 渔业生物量增长潜力显著。鲢、鳙增殖至生态容量过程中, 漳泽水库生态系统的总初级生产量/总呼吸量值分别降低0.47和0.15, 系统连结指数(CI)和Finn平均路径长度(FMPL)略有增大, 说明生态系统的能量利用效率有所提高, 生态系统复杂性和成熟度趋于提高。考虑将鲢、鳙生物量分别调整为最大可持续产量80.75和35.15 t/km², 提高鲢鳙生产量的同时, 有助于生态系统成熟度的提高。以上结果反映了漳泽水库生态系统的发展状况, 同时可为渔业增殖管理提供参考。

     

生态系统健康评价——概念构架与指标选择

在探讨生态系统健康概念构架的基础上,寻求对管理景观中的生态系统健康进行整体性评价的合适指标.健康的生态系统不仅在生态学意义上是健康的,并能维持健康的人类群体及有利于社会经济的发展.健康生态系统的一般特征是恢复力、多样性和生产力.建立生态系统健康评价指标的第一步是指标选择原则的确定,根据生态系统健康评价的目的和指标筛选的原则,把生态系统健康指标体系(Ecosystem Health Indicaror,EHI)分为生物物理指标、生态学指标和社会经济指标.     

Monitoring environmental change in an ecosystem

The monitoring and analysis of the processes taking place in an ecosystem is a key issue for a sustainable human activity. A system of populations, as the biotic component of a complex ecosystem is usually affected by the variation of its abiotic environment. Even in nearly natural ecosystems an abiotic effect like climatic implications of global warming may cause important changes in the dynamics of the population system. In ecosystems involving field cultivation or any industrial activity; the abiotic parameter in question may be the concentration of a substance, changing, e.g. as a result of pollution, application of a pesticide, or a fertilizer, etc. In many cases the observation of the densities of each population may be technically complicated or expensive, therefore the question arises whether from the observation of the densities of certain (indicator) populations, the whole state process of the population system can be uniquely recovered. The paper is aimed at a methodological development of the state monitoring, under the conditions of a changing environment. It is shown, how the technique of mathematical systems theory can be applied not only for the approximate calculation of the state process on the basis of the observed data, even under the effect of an exogene abiotic change with known dynamics; but in certain cases, also for the estimation of the unknown biological effect of the change of an abiotic parameter. The proposed methodology is applied to simple illustrative examples concerning a three-species predator-prey system.     

生态系统健康评价—概念构架与指标选择

在探讨了生态系统健康概念构架的基础上,寻求对管理景观中的生态系统健康进行整体性评价的合适指标,健康的生态系统不仅在生态学意义上是健康的,并能维持健康的人类群体及有利于社会经济的发展,健康生态系统的一般特征是恢复力,多样性和生产力,建立生态系统健康评价指标的第一步是指标选择原则的确定,根据生态系统健康评价的目的和指标筛选的原则,把生态系统健康指标体系（Ecosystem Health Indicator,EHI)分为生物物理指标,生态学指标和社会经济指标。     

生态系统模拟模型的研究进展

从四个方面概述了生态系统模拟模型的发展现状：1)个体及种群,种群动态模型主要模拟在一个生境中单个种的动、植物个体出生或发芽、成长及其死亡过程,还有种内竞争和种间相互作用,主要分析生境中生物之间的相互作用。主要概述了林窗模型和土壤一植物一大气系统模型。2)群落与生态系统,概述了生态系统生产力模型、生物地球化学循环模型及演替模型。主要模拟植物种类在整个生态系统发展过程中的变化,以及植被类型的转变和相关的生物地球化学循环过程的改变,从而反映生物群落对气候变化的响应。3)景观生态系统,景观动态研究包含了时空两个方面的动态变化,一般可分为随机景观模型和基于过程的景观模型。随机模型用于模拟群落格局在演替过程中的动态变化等,基于过程的景观模型深入研究组成景观的各生态系统的空间结构。4)生物圈与地球生态系统,基于过程的陆地生物地球化学模式被用来研究自然生态系统中碳和其它矿物营养物质的潜在通量和蓄积量,较为流行的模式有陆地生态系统模式TEM、CENTURY、法兰克福生物圈模式FBM、Biome-BGC、卡内基-埃姆斯-斯坦福方法CASA等。这些模式己被用于估算自然生态系统对大气CO2加倍及相关气候变化在区域和全球尺度的平衡响应。最后,结合实际工作展望了生态系统模拟模型在各方面的发展方向。