River/land ecotones: scales and patterns

On a continental scale a river system itself is an ecotone, mediating between the terrestrial system and the sea. On the landscape scale, ecotones appear between terrestrial and river systems. At decreasing scales, the number and diversity of ecotones increases. Ecotone processes are discussed in relation to the entire river ecosystem, on scales ranging from the activity range of fish fry up to that of adult fish.The introduction of patch theory into the River Continuum Concept (RCC) allows for the proper consideration of hydraulics and time. The relationships between stream order and patch distribution, patch size and lifetime and age diversity of patches are described. This combination model is much better adjusted to the situations occurring in nature than the original, very abstract RCC-model.Dedicated to Professor Franz Berger on the occasion of his 90th birthday     

Ecological degradation and agricultural intensification in the Andean highlands

Andean cultural ecologists have made two claims in recent years: ecological decomposition is absent due to effective indigenous management of communal resources, and agricultural intensification is inversely related to altitude. Drawing on material from the Jukumani Indians of Northern Potosi, Bolivia, these assertions are challenged. First, there is little evidence to prove or disprove ecological degradation. Second, the location of agricultural intensification, as the Jukumani data suggests, is influenced by altitude as well as by the presence of market.Fieldwork in Bolivia was carried out between January 1979 and May 1981. This essay was originally presented at a conference entitled, How Communities Resolve Common Property Problems, sponsored by the Harvard Institute for International Development and the Center for Population Studies of Harvard University in the spring semester of 1983.     

Molecules,fossils, and the origin of tetrapods

Summary Since the discovery of the coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae, more than 50 years ago, paleontologists and comparative morphologists have debated whether coelacanths or lungfishes, two groups of lobe-finned fishes, are the closest living relatives of land vertebrates (Tetrapoda). Previously, Meyer and Wilson (1990) determined partial DNA sequences from two conservative mitochondrial genes and found support for a close relationship of lungfishes to tetrapods. We present additional DNA sequences from the 12S rRNA mitochondria gene for three species of the two lineages of lungfishes that were not represented in the first study: Protopterus annectens and Protopterus aethiopicus from Africa and Neoceratodus forsteri (kindly provided by B. Hedges and L. Maxson) from Australia. This extended data set tends to group the two lepidosirenid lungfish lineages (Lepidosiren and Protopterus) with Neoceratodus as their sister group. All lungfishes seem to be more closely related to tetrapods than the coelacanth is. This result appears to rule out the possibility that the coelacanth lineage gave rise to land vertebrates. The common ancestor of lungfishes and tetrapods might have possessed multiple morphological traits that are shared by lungfishes and tetrapods [Meyer and Wilson (1990) listed 14 such traits]. Those traits that seem to link Latimeria and tetrapods are arguably due to convergent evolution or reversals and not to common descent. In this way, the molecular tree facilitates an evolutionary interpretation of the morphological differences among the living forms. We recommended that the extinct groups of lobe-finned fishes be placed onto the molecular tree that has lungfishes and not the coelacanth more closely related to tetrapods. The placement of fossils would help to further interpret the sequence of morphological events and innovations associated with the origin of tetrapods but appears to be problematic because the quality of fossils is not always high enough, and differences among paleontologists in the interpretation of the fossils have stood in the way of a consensus opinion for the branching order among lobefinned fishes. Marshall and Schultze (1992) criticized the morphological analysis presented by Meyer and Wilson (1990) and suggest that 13 of the 14 morphological traits that support the sister group relationship of lungfishes and tetrapods are not shared derived characters. Here we present further alternative viewpoints to the ones of Marshall and Schultze (1992) from the paleontological literature. We argue that all available information (paleontological, neontological, and molecular data) and rigorous cladistic methodology should be used when relating fossils and extant taxa in a phylogenetic framework. Offprint requests to: Axel Meyer     

Shell-banding polymorphism of the land snail Xeropicta vestalis along the coastal plain of Israel

Along the coastal plain of Israel, shell darkness of the polymorphic land snail Xeropicta vestalis is positively related to the extent of perennial vegetation. It is not related to rain, temperature, geographic position or darkness of the ground.
White shells reflect more radiation than dark ones do, and therefore in Israel's coastal plain, where solar radiation is very strong, they are favoured. Perennial vegetation, where it occurs, shields the snails from the sun by absorbing radiation, so that snails amongst them can afford to be darker, and thus more cryptic. Hence, the more perennial vegetation in the habitat, the darker the shells.
Also during the Pleistocene, when temperatures were 5–10°C lower than today, the shells of the coastal plain were as pale as recent ones are. The distribution of a snail-predator, Gerbillus allenbyi , which is restricted to sandy biotopes where perennial bushes occur, and which was absent from Israel during the Pleistocene, could perhaps explain the distribution of X. vestalis morphs, both today and in the past.     

A phylogenetic analysis of the land plants

Phylogenetic systematics (cladistics) is a theory of phylogeny reconstruction and classification widely used in zoology. Taxa are grouped hierarchically by the sharing of derived (advanced) characters. The information is expressed in a cladogram, a best estimate of a phylogeny. Plant systematists generally use a phenetic system, grouping taxa on overall similarity which results in many groups being formed, at least in part, on the basis of shared primitive characters.
The methods of phylogenetic systematics are used to create a preliminary cladogram of land plants. The current classification of land plants is criticized for its inclusion of many groups which are not monophyletic.
Objections to the use of phylogenetic systematics in botany, apparent convergences within major groups and frequent hybridization, are shown to be invalid. It is concluded that cladistic analysis presents the best estimate of die natural hierarchy of organisms, and should be adopted by plant systematists in their assessment of plant interrelationships.     

基于地形梯度的岩溶槽谷区土地利用空间格局分析

揭示当前多因素驱动机制下岩溶槽谷区典型地貌单元在地形梯度上土地利用分布的一般规律与差异性特征具有重要意义。以2017年landsat TM高清影像和30 m×30 m DEM（Digital Elevation Model）为数据源,并结合实地调查,通过地形位分布指数、土地利用多样性指数、土地利用程度指数及土地利用相对合理性指数指标计算,探讨岩溶槽谷区地形梯度的土地利用类型空间分布共同特征与差异。结果表明：（1）岩溶槽谷区土地利用类型呈现山坡（高地形位）-槽坝（低地形位）两种分布格局特色存在,且土地利用类型在地形梯度上主要以低、中、高3种地形位组合模式;（2）土地利用类型在地形梯度上呈现梯度效应,表现出各自分布特征与差异;（3）岩溶槽谷区土地利用多样性、土地利用程度和土地利用合理性在地形梯度上分布格局既存在一些共同性特征,又存在各自差异性;（4）地形梯度土地利用特征差异性是受自然因素、社会经济因素、政策因素共同作用的结果。     

全域旅游发展背景下旅游用地概念及分类——社会生态系统视角

随着全域旅游的实施,旅游用地的内涵和外延在不断拓展,旅游用地的综合性、复合性、多效益性以及空间分布的叠加性日益增强。传统的旅游用地概念内涵不清,分类支离破碎,过分强调功能,缺乏系统时空结构的阐述,导致旅游用地规划难以与其他规划相协调,资源可持续利用和区域整合发展受阻,旅游用地概念和分类面临严峻挑战。在分析旅游用地概念及分类现状,探讨存在的弊端和问题的基础上,基于旅游用地社会生态系统时空结构分析对全域旅游背景下旅游用地进行了概念界定和分类。设旅游用地为一级类,下设资源系统用地、用户系统用地、基底系统用地、相互联系用地4个二级类,资源管理用地等20个三级类用地和地文景观用地等53个四级类。并对全域旅游背景下旅游用地的概念及分类进行了讨论,认为:社会生态系统理念涵盖了全域旅游的全部内涵,重视系统的层级、结构、功能、演进和相互联系,利于构建不同时空阶段的旅游用地类型的用地结构标准,促进旅游用地的规范化、分类化管理,旅游用地的时序化和动态化预测和引导;重视生态功能和社会效益,有利于旅游用地生态环境质量和综合效益的提升;涵盖核心景区及外围要素,有利于解决景区与社区的矛盾,促进全域旅游的开展和区域可持续发展;强调旅游用地的复合性、综合性,有利于旅游规划与其他规划的融合。     

干旱区绿洲城市生态文明建设公众参与意识研究——以“一带一路”沿线城市乌鲁木齐为例

生态文明是人类文明发展的新阶段,其强调人与自然的协调发展。基于公众科学理论框架,采用模型模拟方法、实地问卷调查、多元回归方法,分析了乌鲁木齐居民参与城市生态文明建设的自我感知、满意程度、参与意愿,并构建了结构方程模型(SEM),探讨了居民参与城市生态文明意愿的可行路径,分析了居民参与城市生态文明建设的意愿与其相关因素间的关系,揭示了居民参与城市生态文明建设主要限制因素。结果表明:(1)居民自我感知与城市生态文明建设参与意愿呈显著正相关,满意程度与参与意愿呈显著负相关;(2)45.36%的受访者表示非常愿意参与城市生态文明建设;(3)居民主体意识和支持度占比分别为72.92%、72.04%,生态认知、生态关注及参与信心占比分别为43.08%、64.33%和55.14%;(4)受访者对城市生态文明建设状况满意度的平均偏效应为2.32,各项满意度均值情况为:城市绿化状况(2.51)政府环境信息公开程度(2.41)城市空气状况(2.35)城市垃圾处理与分类状况(1.99)。研究成果以期为建立和推进城市生态文明建设提供科学参考。     

城乡建设用地关联对生态系统服务的影响——以洞庭湖地区为例

城乡建设用地数量及相互联系的变化是空间要素及结构演化的重要方面,深刻影响着生态环境质量和生态系统服务水平,研究城乡建设用地关联对生态系统服务的影响对国土空间高质量发展具有重要意义。以洞庭湖地区为研究对象,从土地利用关联视角出发,运用引力模型、InVEST模型、面板数据模型等方法,定量研究了城乡建设用地关联对生态系统服务的影响。结果表明：（1）洞庭湖地区城镇建设用地规模呈现上升趋势,农村居民点用地规模呈现下降趋势;（2）城乡建设用地关联强度呈不断增强趋势,且强关联网格以建成区为核心向周边扩展,低关联网格分布于远离建成区的地方;（3）生境质量和碳储量呈现下降趋势,食物供给则呈现上升趋势,各项生态系统服务价值具有显著的空间异质性;（4）城乡建设用地关联强度对生态系统服务具有负向影响,人口密度、GDP密度、夜间灯光、道路网络对生态系统服务也呈现负向影响,归一化差异植被指数与生态系统服务之间则存在显著的正相关。研究结果有助于了解关联视角下城乡建设用地对生态系统服务的影响机制,可以为制定合理的城乡空间发展战略提供科学依据。     

城市可持续规划中的生态敏感区避让分析——以丽江市为例

为促进城市可持续发展,在科学合理规划城市空间格局的基础上,应突出强调保护原有特色生态环境要素,保育生态系统服务功能和原住民人居环境。作为世界文化遗产,丽江城市面貌在过去数十年发生了深刻变化,城市用地显著扩张,同时严峻的环境问题对城市可持续发展提出挑战。以丽江市为例,选取对其发展影响深远的水系元素、噪声环境因子和森林火灾3个关键生态敏感因子,提出通过分析这类生态敏感区在城市规划过程中的避让方法、程度,区划城市规划基本空间格局,以避免城市未来因生态环境问题突出而制约其发展的规划用地思路。结果表明,丽江城区周边湖泊水系、古城内部及周边原住民人口密集区都是保障城市可持续发展的生态保护重点地区,在城市用地规划中必须予以避让;该区域面积为147.2 km2,占研究区面积的11.1%。同时,明确给出了规划用地的具体空间控制范围和相应的避让原则。