Analysis of over-consumption of natural resources and the ecological trade deficit in China based on ecological footprints

China has experienced unprecedented economic development in recent years and is now facing severe challenges caused by the over-consumption of resources and by ecological and environmental degradation. To assess the influence of resource exploitation and ecological trade, we have developed an index of excessive resource consumption based on the concepts of ecological deficit and ecological over-shoot, and we have used the ecological trade deficit to assess the pressure created by the export and import of resources and products. Our analysis indicated that China's consumption footprint surpassed its biocapacity in 1983, leading to an ecological deficit, and the production footprint surpassed its biocapacity in 1986, leading to an ecological over-shoot, as the over-consumption of natural resources grew. By 2010, 3.6 times the current area of bioproductive land was needed to provide sufficient resources to meet the consumption. China has been encouraging the development of exporting enterprises by implementing a series of financial and tax incentives, which have stimulated the economy in the short-term but have gradually increased the ecological trade deficit since 2000.     

Chemical and biological indicators of soil quality in organic and conventional farming systems in Central Italy

In the past decade, there has been increased scientific interest in the so-called organic farming, especially in comparison with conventional agriculture. Many recent studies compare these two fundamentally different systems for soil properties, in different regions of the world. In this study, two adjacent fields in Central Italy, one managed according to organic, and the other according to conventional farming methods, were studied to determine the effects of these two agricultural systems on soil quality indicators at the farm level. Chemical and microbiological properties were chosen as indicators of soil quality and were measured at soil depth intervals of 5–20 and 20–35 cm, after 7 years of organic certified and conventional management methods. The field under organic management showed significantly better soil nutritional and microbiological conditions; with increased level of total nitrogen, nitrate and available phosphorus, and an increased microbial biomass content, and enzymatic activities (acid phosphatase, protease and dehydrogenase). No consistent increase in total organic carbon was observed. Results of the study suggest that, over the period of 7 year, organic management method strongly affects soil quality indicators. Large differences between the two soils were found in terms of microbiological properties, which are sensitive soil indicators of changes occurred under the different farming systems.     

Weed species and weed communities

Summary With weeds as with many plant species the main or first level factor determining the area of distribution is a (complex) climatic one. As they have an artificially enlarged area of distribution, they have a huge border area (in an ecological sense), where the climate is not optimal for them, and where they have a narrow ecological and sociological amplitude and are especially sensitive to some measures of modern intensified agriculture. In their northern border areas species of southern origin are restricted to calcarcous substrates and to agrestal and finally ruderal communities, while in their optimal climate they are indifferent to that soil factor and able to compete with other species even in natural vegetation types. Species presumably of origin in atlantic areas are restricted with increasing continentality to very poor and acid soils, as they cannot compete with other species on better sites any more, because of their physiological properties. Thus weed distribution demonstrates the complicated reaction of plant species to the complexes of soil-climatic factors and to the competition of other species. As far as weeds are concerned, species may be only relatively calciphilous, but genuinely calcifuge species, the control being climatic in the former case and physiological in the second.The measures of modern agriculture bring about a gradual extinction of sensitive species from the limit of their range towards their centre of distribution, where they can find refuge habitats in the natural vegetation. The sensitivity of such species (also against herbicides) seems to increase towards their limits. Resistant species occur with increasing densities after the removal of their competitors. In addition, they are able to enlarge their area and to invade sites, where they had not been able to compete before, or sites where they could not previously bear the environmental conditions together with the competition of the rich weed flora.As the complex climatic gradients responsible for the ranges of weed species show smooth transitions, the alteration of species composition in weed communities is also a gradual one. This is one of the problems of weed phytosociology briefly discussed.Nomenclature follows Ehrendorfer (1973), Phytosociological units according to Westhoff & Den Held (1969).Contribution to the Symposium on Plant Species and Plant communities, held at Nijmegen, 11–12 November 1976, on the occasion of the 60th birthday of Professor Victor Westhoff.Field studies were partly supported by a grant of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.     

Observations on the relation between phytoplankton diversity and environmental factors in the Vaal River at Balkfontein,South Africa

The relationship between specific environmental factors as independent variables and temporal changes in phytoplankton community structure in the Vaal River (a turbid system) during 1984 was investigated by employing different diversity indices. Temporal changes in community structure reflected temporal changes in certain environmental factors. Phytoplankton diversity, measured with Shannon-Wie H' and Hurlbert PIE indices, was related firstly to discharge and discharge derived variables (such as SO₄, Si, N and P loading) and secondly to turbidity derived variables (such as euphotic zone depth). Discharge appears to be of prime importance in affecting diversity. Observations were made that shed new light on conditions contributing to the development of an August peak (dominated by Stephanodiscus hantzschii fo. tenuis and Micractinium pusillum) in phytoplankton concentration. Increased environmental stress may reduce the number of sensitive species, thus reducing interspecific competition between tolerant species which could then exploit the — for them — more favourable conditions resulting in an increase in their numbers to peak concentrations.     

滆湖轮虫群落结构与水质生态学评价

研究了浅水湖泊--滆湖的轮虫群落结构,并用轮虫污染指示种类、E/O值、QB/T值和生物多样性指数评价滆湖的水质和营养状况.在两周年的研究中,共发现轮虫69种,污染指示轮虫39种.优势种为萼花臂尾轮虫(Brachionua calyciflorus)、前节晶囊轮虫(Asplanchna priodonta)、针簇多肢轮虫(Polyarthra trigla)、长三肢轮虫(Filinia longiseta)和裂足臂尾轮虫(B.diversicornis).轮虫密度年平均值为1584 ind./L,生物量年平均值为5.982 1 mg/L.密度秋季最高,生物量夏季较高.轮虫物种多样性较低,多样性指数与其密度及生物量正相关.滆湖三个生态功能区轮虫的种类相似;湖区北部与中部的轮虫现存量差异不显著,与南部的差异显著,中部与南部间差异极显著.根据指示生物法、生物指数法和多样性指数法评价滆湖水质及营养类型,涌湖为富营养型.     

Global diversity and adaptations of avian eggshell thickness indices

The amniote eggshell is a fundamental aspect of the embryo life-support system, protecting it from UV light, microbes and mechanical damage, while regulating gas exchange and providing calcium for growth. The thickness of eggshells is highly diverse across modern birds and influences multiple eggshell functions, yet the selective pressures driving eggshell thickness have not been clearly identified. Here, we use a global dataset of avian eggshell thickness indices for 4260 (> 41%) avian species to assess trends in eggshell thickness across the phylogeny, as these indices are strongly correlated with direct measures of eggshell thickness and are non-destructive to the sample. We analysed the dataset within a phylogenetic framework to assess the relative importance of climatic and ecological explanations for variation in eggshell thickness indices. The distribution of avian eggshell thickness indices across species was found to be primarily driven by phylogenetic relatedness, in addition to evolutionary processes that do not match a Brownian model of evolution. Across modern birds, thicker eggshells were more prevalent in species (1) with precocial young, (2) which exhibit a scavenger-based diet, (3) which primarily feed on vertebrates or plants (excluding nectivores, seed and fruit specialists) and (4) which breed in open habitats. Thicker eggshells found in species with precocial young probably enable higher rates of calcium removal for the more advanced embryo development. Excessive light transmission through the shell damages developing embryos, while too little light transmission can impede development. Eggs in shaded habitats experience low light exposure, and thus thinner shells are more prevalent in these environments potentially to increase light transmission through the shell. Overall, variation in eggshell thickness indices appears to be driven largely by phylogeny, with certain life-history traits linked to embryo growth rate, calcium content of their food, and the need to mitigate excessive light transmission through the shell.     

Determining the relative roles of species replacement and species richness differences in generating beta‐diversity patterns

Aim To determine the relative contribution of species replacement and species richness differences to the emergence of beta‐diversity patterns. Innovation A novel method that disentangles all compositional differences (β_cc, overall beta diversity) in its two components, species replacement (β_‐3) and species richness differences (β_rich) is proposed. The performance of the method was studied with ternary plots, which allow visualization of the influence of the relative proportions of shared and unique species of two sites over each metric. The method was also tested in different hypothetical gradients and with real datasets. The novel method was compared with a previous proposal based on the partitioning of overall compositional differences (β_sor) in replacement (β_sim) and nestedness (β_nes). The linear response of β_cc contrasts with the curvilinear response of β_sor to linear gradients of dissimilarity. When two sites did not share any species, β_sim was always 1 and β_‐3 only reached 1 when the number of exclusive species of both sites was equal. β_‐3 remained constant along gradients of richness differences with constant replacement, while β_sim decreased. β_rich had a linear response to a linear gradient of richness differences with constant species replacement, whereas β_nes exhibited a hump‐shaped response. Moreover, β_sim > β_nes when clearly almost all species of one site were lost, whereas β_‐3 < β_rich in the same circumstances. Main conclusions The behaviour of the partition of β_cc into β_‐3 and β_rich is consistent with the variation of replacement and richness differences. The partitioning of β_sor into β_sim and β_nes overestimates the replacement component and underestimates richness differences. The novel methodology allows the discrimination of different causes of beta‐diversity patterns along latitudinal, biogeographic or ecological gradients, by estimating correctly the relative contributions of replacement and richness differences.     

生态学的时空特性(英文)

 众所周知,几乎所有的生态学特征和现象都受限于一定的时间和空间。因此,相应的科学假设和相关的生态学结论也只能基于这些特定的时空尺度范围。我们利用颇为熟知的事例,引用生态学文献中的具体实例,提纲挈领地论述了时空在生态学研究中的重要性。这些实例包括我们在长白山对云、冷杉(Picea jezoensis, Abies nephrolepis)林林冠结构的模拟、在北美应用遥感和气象方法对碳通量的估算,以及测定湿地生态系统对加温的反应等。文中所涉及的所有生态学现象,对时间和空间都有强烈的依赖性。因而, 从生态学问题的提出,到科学假设的演绎,以至试验设计和综合数据分析,都必须以时、空为前提,才不至于导致荒谬结论。     

江苏省区域农业生态经济的时空变异分析

以江苏省徐连、沿海、宁镇扬、沿江和太湖5个经济区及其9个代表县市区域为研究对象,基于"社会-生态-经济"的系统分析,建立了包括目标层、准则层和指标层3个层次多指标的农业生态经济综合评价指标体系,采用主成分分析方法对评价指标体系进行检验、筛选,并以江苏省为案例,综合分析了农业生态经济系统的时空变异特征。结果表明:江苏省农业生态经济发展水平的时空变异明显,空间上,徐连、沿海、宁镇扬、沿江和太湖5个经济区表现出由北向南逐渐上升的趋势,且随时间的推移逐渐上升;时间上,徐连和太湖经济区农业生态经济发展水平在1999—2008年间呈持续上升,处于良好或优质协调状态。虽然两经济区的农业生态环境-经济发展协调发展水平均较高,但差距较大,徐连和太湖经济区的农业生态环境-经济发展协调度从1999年到2008年呈逐渐下降趋势,但总体上仍处于良好或优质协调状态。     

Acoustic communities in an environmental gradient from native to urban areas in Central Brazil

As urban areas expand due to increasing human populations, natural habitats are diminishing in quantity and quality. We conducted a study to examine the response of diurnal acoustic communities along a gradient of environments, ranging from native to dense urban areas. We hypothesized that acoustic indices would decline with urbanization, transitioning from natural and rural areas to urban environments. We conducted the research in and around Brasília, Central Brazil. We deployed 24 digital recorders in native, rural, low-density and high-density urban areas. We employed five commonly used acoustic indices (ADI, ACI, NDSI, H and BI) to characterize the acoustic communities and represent the existing biodiversity numerically. We initially compared the index values across different land use types using a non-parametric rank sum test. Subsequently, we selected eight landscape metrics and performed a principal component analysis to summarize the surrounding matrix at each sampling point. We then employed generalized linear models to determine if the acoustic indices exhibited the anticipated variations. The results indicated significant variations in all indices among the different land use types, indicating their responsiveness to distinct acoustic communities and environmental characteristics. ADI, H and NDSI exhibited declining values from native to urban areas, while ACI and BI displayed the opposite trend. These findings underscore the influence of landscape structure on acoustic indices. Consequently, we concluded that adopting appropriate landscape planning, mainly through integrating natural and urban areas, could help preserve biodiversity in tropical urban regions.