区域生态文明建设水平综合评估指标

2007年中国政府提出"生态文明"建设以来,已批准了三批52个生态文明建设试点。生态系统与社会经济发展的复杂性要求科学、客观地评估区域生态文明建设,以便科学地决策和行动。区域生态文明建设是一个复合的过程,其核心在于社会-经济-自然复合生态系统各组分的和谐进步。因此,基于生态系统服务(ES)、生态足迹(EF)和人均GDP3个指标,以及这3个指标所代表的资源禀赋、人类对自然生态系统的占用、经济增长之间的线性逻辑关系,构建综合性相对指数;并以此对2010年中国大陆各省(市、直辖市)的生态文明建设水平进行了综合评估,其中,海南省的生态文明建设指数最大,为0.5091,北京市的指数最小,为0.0377;最后,分析了2010年中国大陆各省(市、区)生态文明建设的生态压力和生态效率,北京、天津和上海3个直辖市处于低资源禀赋高资源消费状况,全国大多数省(市、区)处于低消耗和低产出的阶段,经济增长尚有较大的潜力。     

民勤荒漠区主要植物群落的稳定性及生态效应

以民勤荒漠区5种主要植物群落10个样方12年的定位观测资料为基础,运用植被盖度和投影盖度2个指标对荒漠区植物群落的稳定性及其生态效应进行分析,以期阐释随着全球变暖荒漠植物群落的稳定性和生态效应的变化规律。观测结果表明,沙蒿(Artemisia arenaria)的植被盖度和麻黄(Ephedra przewalskii)的植被盖度以及沙蒿的投影盖度和梭梭(Haloxylon ammodendron)人工林的投影盖度显著下降,白刺(Nitraria tangutorum)的植被盖度亦下降。分析结果表明:(1)植被盖度相对较低的群落的稳定性较强,而植被盖度相对较高的群落的稳定性相对较差。(2)当年降水量是决定植被盖度及其投影盖度的关键因子。(3)单位面积的白刺的生态功能最大,其次是麻黄,再次是白刺+梭梭,单位面积的沙蒿的生态功能最低。荒漠区植被稀疏,植株枝条分布极不规则,以冠幅计算所得的植被盖度不能反映植被实际覆盖地表的状况。     

Managing ecological traps: Logging and sapsucker nest predation by bears

We tested the equal preference ecological trap hypothesis for breeding yellow-bellied sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus varius) along a time-since-harvest gradient (1–5 yr, 16–20 yr, 21–25 yr, and >60 yr) in selection system-logged hardwood forests in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers preferred 1–5 year and >60-year-old cuts equally and more than 16–20 year and 21–25-year-old cuts. More-abundant arthropod food and/or higher-quality sap resources may have attracted yellow-bellied sapsuckers to 1–5 year and >60-year-old cuts. Only 52% of pairs raised fledglings in 1- to 5-year-old cuts during years when nest predation by American black bears (Ursus americanus) was common, the incidence of which was negatively related to increased availability of American beech (Fagus grandifolia) nuts from the previous autumn. By contrast, 88% of pairs raised fledglings in all years in >60-year-old cuts. One- to 5-year-old cuts were demographic sinks that represent equal-preference ecological traps in years when nest predation by bears was common, whereas >60-year-old cuts were always demographic sources. High-quality habitat cues for nesting yellow-bellied sapsuckers appear to be retained for 1–5 years after selection system logging but fail to deliver safe nest sites. Cavities excavated in heart-rot-infected nest trees are least likely to be depredated because cavity walls are typically harder and deter entry by depredating bears. Retaining more potential nest trees per ha at harvest (especially American beech with heart-rot) may increase the proportion of sapsucker nests that are excavated in bear-resistant trees, thereby reducing nest predation and increasing fecundity. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.     

Responses of Neurons of the Extrastriate Area 21b of the Cat Brain Cortex to Changes in Orientation of Moving Visual Stimuli

We studied the responses of neurons of the extrastriate cortical area 21b of the cat to changes in orientation of the movements of visual stimuli within the receptive field (RF) of the neuron under study. Our experiments demonstrated that 24 of 108 cells (22%) responded differentially to a certain extent to orientation of the movements of visual stimuli. As a whole, neurons of the area 21b did not demonstrate fine tuning on the optimum angle of orientation. In many cases, neuronal responses to different orientations of the movement of visual stimulus depended significantly on specific parameters of this stimulus (its shape, dimensions, and contrast). Some directionally sensitive neurons responded to a change in orientation of the movement of visual stimuli by modification of the index of directionality. We also studied spatial organization of the RF of neurons with the presentation of stationary visual stimuli. Comparison of the neuronal responses to a change in orientation of the movements of stimuli and to presentation of stationary stimuli showed that the correlation between the orientation sensitivity of the neuron under study and the stationary functional organization of its RF was insignificant. We hypothesize that inhibitory processes and subthreshold influences from a space surrounding the RF play a special role in the formation of the neuronal responses generated in the associative visual cortical regions to visual stimulation.     

Prediction of methylated CpGs in DNA sequences using a support vector machine

DNA methylation plays a key role in the regulation of gene expression. The most common type of DNA modification consists of the methylation of cytosine in the CpG dinucleotide. At the present time, there is no method available for the prediction of DNA methylation sites. Therefore, in this study we have developed a support vector machine (SVM)-based method for the prediction of cytosine methylation in CpG dinucleotides. Initially a SVM module was developed from human data for the prediction of human-specific methylation sites. This module achieved a MCC and AUC of 0.501 and 0.814, respectively, when evaluated using a 5-fold cross-validation. The performance of this SVM-based module was better than the classifiers built using alternative machine learning and statistical algorithms including artificial neural networks, Bayesian statistics, and decision trees. Additional SVM modules were also developed based on mammalian- and vertebrate-specific methylation patterns. The SVM module based on human methylation patterns was used for genome-wide analysis of methylation sites. This analysis demonstrated that the percentage of methylated CpGs is higher in UTRs as compared to exonic and intronic regions of human genes. This method is available on line for public use under the name of Methylator at http://bio.dfci.harvard.edu/Methylator/.     

生态补偿的机理与准则

分析国内外生态补偿实践和理论研究的基础上,从可持续发展角度探讨生态补偿的基本内涵;通过对生态系统自组织与反馈、恢复机制的剖析,提出了生态补偿应遵循的基本准则;结合国情,探讨了生态补偿亟待解决的实践困惑和应对策略。     

Selection from parasites favours immunogenetic diversity but not divergence among locally adapted host populations

The unprecedented polymorphism in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes is thought to be maintained by balancing selection from parasites. However, do parasites also drive divergence at MHC loci between host populations, or do the effects of balancing selection maintain similarities among populations? We examined MHC variation in populations of the livebearing fish Poecilia mexicana and characterized their parasite communities. Poecilia mexicana populations in the Cueva del Azufre system are locally adapted to darkness and the presence of toxic hydrogen sulphide, representing highly divergent ecotypes or incipient species. Parasite communities differed significantly across populations, and populations with higher parasite loads had higher levels of diversity at class II MHC genes. However, despite different parasite communities, marked divergence in adaptive traits and in neutral genetic markers, we found MHC alleles to be remarkably similar among host populations. Our findings indicate that balancing selection from parasites maintains immunogenetic diversity of hosts, but this process does not promote MHC divergence in this system. On the contrary, we suggest that balancing selection on immunogenetic loci may outweigh divergent selection causing divergence, thereby hindering host divergence and speciation. Our findings support the hypothesis that balancing selection maintains MHC similarities among lineages during and after speciation (trans‐species evolution).     

海洋浮游生物的生态化学计量学研究进展

生态化学计量学可以简单定义为从分子到生物圈的元素生物学,其跨越了环境和生命的各个层次,是构建从分子到生态系统统一化理论的新思路,是生态科学发展的必然趋势.海洋生物占地球生物圈总生物量的50%,是全球生物地球化学循环的重要组成部分,而浮游生物作为海洋生态系统物质循环和能量流动的重要环节,在海洋生态系统元素循环过程中起着关键作用.但是目前关于海洋浮游生物生态化学计量学的研究较零散和缺乏.因此,本文从限制元素影响海洋浮游生物的生态现象和机理、生化物质对营养限制的响应、营养限制的食物链传递与反馈4方面,对海洋浮游生物化学计量学研究进行综述,分析了该领域当前存在的问题,并对我国海洋浮游生物生态化学计量学研究的发展重点提出了展望.
     

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.
     

极端干旱区尾闾湖生态需水估算——以东居延海为例

以东居延海为研究对象,利用遥感技术目视解译ETM影像,提取东居延海2002—2012年各月湖面面积。通过水文保证率法确定不同保证率下的湖面面积,结合额济纳旗气象站观测的风速、相对湿度、气温、水汽压、降水量等气象数据估算湖泊蒸发耗水量和湖泊降水补给量,根据湖泊渗漏系数估算湖泊渗漏量,最后运用水平衡原理构建湖泊生态需水模型,估算了东居延海在湖面面积保证率为50%、75%、95%时各月月均和年均生态需水量,其中年均生态需水量分别为1.78×108、1.60×108、1.03×108m3,约占莺落峡年均径流量的9.66%、8.66%、5.59%,约占正义峡年均径流量的16.27%、14.60%、9.42%,约占狼心山年均径流量的30.81%、27.65%、17.84%。