Speciation and the neutral theory of biodiversity

The neutral theory of biodiversity purports that patterns in the distribution and abundance of species do not depend on adaptive differences between species (i.e. niche differentiation) but solely on random fluctuations in population size (“ecological drift”), along with dispersal and speciation. In this framework, the ultimate driver of biodiversity is speciation. However, the original neutral theory made strongly simplifying assumptions about the mechanisms of speciation, which has led to some clearly unrealistic predictions. In response, several recent studies have combined neutral community models with more elaborate speciation models. These efforts have alleviated some of the problems of the earlier approaches, while confirming the general ability of neutral theory to predict empirical patterns of biodiversity. However, the models also show that the mode of speciation can have a strong impact on relative species abundances. Future work should compare these results to diversity patterns arising from non‐neutral modes of speciation, such as adaptive radiations.     

城市化区域生态风险驱动力及管控策略——以北京市为例

快速城市化导致城市及周边区域生态风险不断增加,认知城市化区域生态风险,探究其变化的驱动因素,提出行之有效的风险管控策略,对城市化区域生态环境与社会经济协调发展具有重要意义。以北京市为例,基于生态系统服务对生态风险进行了定量表征,分析了城市化因素对生态风险的驱动作用,探究了生态风险管控策略。研究结果表明：不透水地表扩张、经济增长、人口增长均对生态风险有显著的驱动作用,其中不透水地表扩张的驱动作用占主导地位。经济增长和人口增长通过影响不透水地表率间接作用于生态风险,在2005年时,人口密度对生态风险的驱动作用大于GDP强度,在2010年及之后,GDP强度对生态风险的驱动作用则变得比人口密度的驱动作用更大。北京市的生态风险管控策略为：在不透水地表率介于40%—70%的区域降低不透水地表率和实施土地利用及景观格局优化;不透水地表率大于70%的区域应防止不透水地表进一步扩张;不透水地表率低于40%的区域需通过提升生态系统质量、强化风险防范、降低风险暴露等途径来管控风险。此外,应通过提高海淀、昌平、通州、顺义等辖区的人口和经济城市化集约水平来降低生态风险。本研究阐明了城市化对区域生态风险的驱动作用...     

基于景观生态学“源-汇”理论的市域尺度生态功能分区——以内蒙古通辽市为例

市域尺度的生态功能分区对于市域生态资源的有效保护和合理利用起着不可替代的指导作用。现阶段较为被动而静态的功能分区研究忽视了市域生态资源在城镇化发展中的剧烈变化。而景观生态学的"源-汇"概念和相关手段,将区域生态功能空间格局与不断变化的生态过程之间建立了联系,在生态功能分区科学理性的研究实践中运用前景广阔。运用景观生态学"源-汇"理论,以内蒙古通辽市为例,通过对于研究区域中"源"景观的划分,设定不同景观要素的阻力值,构建基于"源"动态特征的最小累计阻力模型,计算得出阻力面。并进一步通过寻找阻力面突变点来确定分区阈值,最终确定通辽市域尺度生态功能的5大分区,最后提出有针对性的分区管控措施与指引。研究将市域生态要素在城市化下的动态演变与生态安全格局进行有机关联并制定科学的分区策略,为市域生态空间的优化及管理提供了理论依据。     

河西走廊生态经济系统协调度评价及其空间演化

基于1985、1995、2000、2011年的Landsat TM影像解译数据,以河西走廊20个县(市、区)为基本研究单元,运用生态系统服务价值估算法,依据生态系统服务价值指数(ESV)和生态经济协调度指数(EEH),对河西走廊1985—2011年生态经济系统协调度进行评价.结果表明: 研究期间,研究区土地类型结构发生了较大变化,林草地面积减少幅度较大,建设用地和耕地面积增加较快.ESV整体呈下降趋势,研究区东、中部石羊河流域和黑河流域中游ESV变化幅度较大,经济开发方式在本时段发生过显著变化,研究区西部疏勒河流域ESV变化不大.2000年后,研究区经济增长速度明显加快,资源型城市和区域性中心城市是经济增长的热点区,整体上沿走廊中心向两侧递减.研究区生态经济关系整体上经历了“初步恶化-进一步恶化-低度协调”的演变过程,研究区东、中部的石羊河流域和黑河流域中游EEH有较大幅度的变化,生态经济经历了“冲突-进一步冲突-小幅度缓和”的过程,西部疏勒河流域EEH变化幅度较小,石羊河流域和黑河流域高强度的开发模式以及随后的流域综合治理对区域生态经济协调性产生了较大影响.
     

基于GIS支持下的土地资源空间格局生态优化

以防治水土流失和维护景观整体生态优化为目标,选择我国滇西南地区亚热带山地为典型案例,利用遥感数据和GIS的空间信息处理技术,采用适宜性评价与土地资源利用格局整体优化相结合的方法,用最小累积阻力模型(MCR)确定土地利用的功能分区和生态格局组分,探讨山地土地资源空间格局生态优化途径.结果表明:(1)基于GIS空间分析技术和"成本距离加权"制图分析工具,采用最小累积阻力模型(MCR)的土地资源空间格局生态优化方法是可行的;(2)将水平生态过程作为一种对景观的控制过程来对待,以常绿阔叶林和思茅松林为保护源,基于最小累积阻力面(MCR)模型,构建了对土地资源整体生态功能起维护作用,对源内物种的迁移或扩散过程具有关键作用的廊道、辐射道和战略点等生态格局组分;(3)基于MCR阻力值建立的频率序列及拐点图,拐点两侧的土地利用类型异质性较大,可以作为划分土地功能分区的临界点,以此划分出有利于生态安全的核心源保护区、生态缓冲区、生态过渡区、生态边缘区、农业耕作区和居民生活区等6类土地功能区,并提出各功能区的管理措施.     

基于赤水河流域生态补偿的政府和社会资本合作项目风险识别与分担

赤水河流域为生态脆弱区域,现行的流域生态补偿机制存在补偿资金来源单一、总量不足且持续性较差、补偿方式较为单一等问题。将政府和社会资本合作（Public-Private Partnership,PPP）模式应用于建立赤水河流域生态补偿机制,有助于拓宽补偿资金来源、增加资金总量、丰富补偿方式,推动各利益相关方收益共享、风险共担。与传统PPP项目相比,基于流域生态补偿的PPP项目具有更为复杂的风险结构,风险因素的正确识别和合理分担是成功运用PPP模式完善赤水河流域生态补偿机制的关键。识别基于赤水河流域生态补偿的PPP项目运作关键环节,甄别各环节面临的主要风险因素;基于云理论建立风险分担模型;将有关风险在政府和社会资本间进行分担。研究结果表明：（1）基于赤水河流域生态补偿的PPP项目运作过程共包括项目准备、项目实施和项目合同终结等三个阶段、共11个关键环节,各环节共面临26个主要风险因素。（2）分析了有关风险因素可能对赤水河流域生态补偿机制或PPP项目产生的不利影响,并指出了风险引致方。（3）在项目准备阶段,政府拥有绝对的资源优势,以政府为主承担主要风险;在项目实施阶段,项目风险总体上由政府承担为主向社会资本承担为主转移,80%的风险主要由社会资本承担;特许经营期满后,社会资本将项目的经营权（或所有权与经营权同时）向政府移交,在项目合同终结阶段,有关风险再次以政府承担为主。     

Using ecological networks to answer questions in global biogeography and ecology

Ecological networks have classically been studied at site and landscape scales, yet recent efforts have been made to collate these data into global repositories. This offers an opportunity to integrate and upscale knowledge about ecological interactions from local to global scales to gain enhanced insights from the mechanistic information provided by these data. By drawing on existing research investigating patterns in ecological interactions at continental to global scales, we show how data on ecological networks, collected at appropriate scales, can be used to generate an improved understanding of many aspects of ecology and biogeography—for example, species distribution modelling, restoration ecology and conservation. We argue that by understanding the patterns in the structure and function of ecological networks across scales, it is possible to enhance our understanding of the natural world.     

Magnitude and drivers of plant diversity loss differ between spatial scales in Scania,Sweden 1957–2021

Questions

Changed land use, nitrogen deposition, climate change, and the spread of non-native species have repeatedly been reported as the main drivers of recent floristic changes in northern Europe. However, the relevance of the geographical scale at which floristic changes are observed is less well understood and it has only rarely been possible to quantify biodiversity loss. Therefore, we assessed changes in species richness, species composition and mean ecological indicator values (EIVs) at three nested geographic scales during two different time periods, each ca 30 years, since the mid-1900s.

Location

Two parishes in central Scania, southernmost Sweden.

Methods

We analyzed species presence/absence data from three inventories at ca 30-year intervals over 1957–2021 and three geographic scales (157 m², ca 7 km² and ca 45 km²) to document temporal trends and differences between geographic scales in terms of species richness, species composition and mean EIVs.

Results

We found shifts in species composition across all geographical scales. However, the magnitude of biodiversity loss and the main drivers of these changes were scale-dependent. At the smallest spatial scale, we saw a dramatic loss of plant biodiversity with local species richness in 2021 being only 48% of that of 1960. In contrast, at the larger geographic scales no significant changes in species richness were observed because species losses were compensated for by gains of predominantly non-native species, which made up at least 78% of the new species richness. At the smallest spatial scale, changed land use (ceased grazing/mowing and intensified forestry) appeared as the main driver, while an increasing proportion of non-native species, as well as climatic changes and increasing nitrogen loads appeared relatively more important at larger geographic scales.

Conclusion

Our results highlight the precarious situation for biodiversity in the region and at the same time the fundamental importance of geographic scale in studies of biodiversity change. Both the magnitude and drivers of changes may differ depending on the geographic scale and must be considered also when previously published studies are interpreted.     

变化环境下火干扰研究进展

火是地球系统的重要过程,也是一种剧烈的环境干扰因素。火是生态系统变化的驱动力和催化剂,调节着生态系统的结构和功能,同时反馈给气候系统。近年来,世界多个国家相继爆发了历史上罕见的极端火事件,使得火干扰、气候变化和人类活动之间的相互作用关系得到了空前的关注。主要从3个方面回顾了变化环境下火干扰研究的进展,包括(1)火干扰的时空格局;(2)火干扰的驱动机制;(3)火干扰的生态效应。概括起来,遥感技术的发展使得火监测精度不断提高,对火时空格局的刻画由过去侧重火燃烧面积单一因素转向具有多重属性的火干扰体系。气候变化和人类活动共同决定着火干扰的分布格局、频率和强度,考虑气候的季节性能够提高火干扰的预测能力。火干扰调节着生态系统的草木平衡,对于生物多样性和生境的维持非常重要。此外,火干扰通过生物质燃烧释放的大量温室气体影响大气组成和空气质量,同时通过改变地表状况和陆-气相互作用来影响气候系统。正确理解气候-植被-火之间的相互作用和反馈机制有助于未来火干扰体系的预测。随着高温、大风、干旱等极端气候事件增多,未来全球大部分区域火发生的风险增加,但是人类活动可能会使火和气候之间的关系发生解耦。可持续的火管...