Using creation science to demonstrate evolution? Senter’s strategy revisited

Senter's strategy of arguing against creationism using their own methodology focused on demonstrating a morphological continuum between birds and nonavian dinosaurs using classical multidimensional scaling (CMDS), a method used by some creationists to assign species to assist in the detection of phylogenetic 'discontinuities.' Because creationists do not typically use CMDS in the manner Senter used it, his results were re-examined using 'distance correlation,' a method used to assign species to 'created kinds.' Distance correlation using Senter's set of taxa and characters supports his conclusion of morphological continuity, but other sets of taxa with more characters do not. These results lessen the potential impact that Senter's strategy might have on creationism; however, it is possible that future fossil discoveries will provide stronger support for morphological continuity between dinosaurs and birds.     

Piping plover habitat selection and nest success on natural,managed, and engineered sandbars

Loss of breeding habitat and nest predation have contributed to the decline of many shorebird species. The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) initiated a piping plover (Charadrius melodus) habitat creation and augmentation program on the Missouri River in the summer of 2004. The USACE increased unvegetated sandbar habitat by depositing dredged material (engineered sandbars) and by clearing vegetation from existing sandbars (managed sandbars). We evaluated the effects of this increase in nesting and foraging habitat on habitat selection and nest daily survival rate (DSR) of piping plovers on Lewis and Clark Lake and the Gavins Point Reach of the Missouri River from 2005 to 2007 (n = 623 nests). Piping plovers selected engineered sandbars more often than expected based on area and selected natural and managed habitats less than expected based on area. Daily survival rate on engineered sandbars was significantly higher than on natural or managed sandbars (log odds: 2.50, 95% CI: 1.05–5.94). Thus, plovers' habitat selection may have increased their nesting success. Our results suggest that habitat augmentation may stave off declines in piping plover populations limited by insufficient habitat and low nesting success. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.     

Exploiting wild population diversity and somaclonal variation in the salt marsh grass Distichlis spicata (Poaceae) for marsh creation and restoration

The salt marsh grass Distichlis spicata was regenerated from tissue culture and propagated in a greenhouse. Selected regenerants, along with selections from six wild populations, were grown for two years in a common garden flood-irrigated thrice weekly with tidal creek water. Selected wild and regenerated plants were also planted in a created salt marsh. Significant differences among regenerant and wild population selections were found in several functionally important salt marsh plant characteristics, including potential detritus production, belowground organic matter production, canopy structure, and decomposition rate. A combination of characteristics not found in the wild populations was evident in a regenerated line that exhibited both a high detritus production potential and a high decomposition rate. The amount of variation that occurred among regenerants from one parental line via somaclonal variation was similar to that which occurred among the wild population selections. Results of this study suggest that tissue culture may provide a means of producing marsh grasses with specific characteristics for directing the functional development of newly created salt marshes.     

Aquatic macroinvertebrate community responses to wetland mitigation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

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Comparing amphibian habitat quality and functional success among natural,restored, and created vernal pools

The fact that several vernal pool restoration and creation attempts in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey have been paired with conservation of natural pools in the same area provided a valuable research opportunity to compare amphibian habitat quality between project sites and natural reference pools. To measure desired outcomes, we used successful reproduction and metamorphosis of two vernal pool indicator species, the wood frog and spotted salamander. Although many previous studies indicate that restored and created pools rarely replace function lost in the destruction of natural pools, success of vernal pool indicator species was not necessarily related to pool type in this study. Results indicate a strong correlation between reproductive success for both species and vernal pool size (i.e. mean depth and volume), regardless of pool type. Although overall survival rates of wood frog larvae were significantly higher in natural pools with hydroperiods between 12 and 35 weeks, wood frogs were also successful in one restored and one created vernal pool. Salamander survival rates were highest in two natural and two created pools, which had in common both greater volumes and higher proportions of forest land cover in the surrounding 1,000 m. The documented success of vernal pool indicator species in two well‐established created pools demonstrates that pool creation can sometimes restore communities and ecological functions lost, especially when nearby natural pools are degraded or destroyed.     

城市公园景感要素及其对不同人群公园活动方式的影响

景感生态学以可持续发展为目标,契合了新型城镇化和人居环境科学的思想,强调以人为本,关注人的感知与环境的关系,为理解城市景观与人群活动的关系提供了一个崭新的视角。基于景感生态学视角,对城市公园常见的景感要素进行归纳分类,探讨城市公园景感要素对不同人群活动的作用途径;然后选择厦门市滨海、滨湖、山体、老城区和文化等五类典型城市公园的代表作为研究对象,实证分析和比较五类公园景感要素组成和民众感知评价的差异,并以此尝试解释不同类型公园吸引不同人群（访客密度、访问时间）及其在公园活动方式上的差异。研究结果表明,公园景感要素通过多层次关联对人群活动产生作用,即景感要素作用影响人的感觉类型,产生多样景感效果,满足民众由愿景产生的需求,进而影响其活动意愿和方式;各景感要素综合作用,共同对公园活动产生影响;当公园景感要素承载的设计愿景与民众愿景产生共鸣,才能产生良好景感效果,促进游园人群活动热情;公园景感要素和人群活动的关系侧重体现暴露性的生态系统服务。该论文研究结果希望为深入研究城市公园服务人群机制拓展一个自然与人文融合的崭新视角,同时为城市公园设计和运营提供有效的科技支撑。     

景感生态学视角下的健康社区构建

景感生态学是基于中国传统人居环境营造理论与实践结合现代生态学基本原理形成的新兴学科,注重探讨生态系统服务与可持续发展的关系。可持续发展目标中健康与福祉是其重要内容,因此健康人居环境的营造也是景感生态学的重要应用领域之一。在健康人居环境的营造过程中,健康社区构建具有作为"细胞工程"的基础性作用。因此,从景感生态学的视角探讨健康社区的构建,有助于景感生态学进一步应用于可持续发展与人居环境营造的实践,为健康与福祉的顺利实现提供支撑。从健康社区的定义和主要理念出发,基于健康社区构建的需求本体和供给客体及其相互作用关系,结合生态环境科学的"时-空-量-序"的视角,探讨了生态环境研究应用于健康社区构建的作用及面临的系统性不足、人文性不足和耦合性不足等挑战;进而以景感生态学作为连接生态环境学科与建筑规划学科的纽带,探讨了景感生态学在应对上述挑战中的作用。从景感生态学视角来看,健康社区构建就是将人类健康这一愿景融入到社区健康需求本体与健康供给客体及其相互关系的调控与营造,从而实现社区及人群的健康和可持续发展。健康社区的构建强调社区人群主观健康需求与客观健康供给之间的互动与耦合,与景感生态学强调"景"与"感"相互融合、相互作用具有高度一致性。本文从景感生态学的研究要素、景感营造的理念与研究工具等方面,系统地提出景感生态学视角下的健康社区构建框架：包括融合多景感要素的社区人群健康生态系统服务体系、营造多景感载体的社区人群健康行为意识引导体系和建设多方位的健康社区趋善化管理与智能感知体系。景感生态学所提供的崭新视角和系统性思路,对于健康社区的构建将具有重要的指导作用。     

基于生态系统服务层级关联性的景感营造实现途径

生态系统服务是建设人类与生态系统和谐共处的桥梁,景感营造是维持可持续发展的重要途径。然而两者之间的关系并不清晰,这限制了景感营造的实践和功能发挥。从人类需求的角度论证了生态系统服务的层级关联性,生态系统所提供的支持服务、供给服务、调节服务和文化服务具有依次发展的层级关系并且各服务之间相互协同。生态系统服务为景感营造提供愿景与载体,景感营造保持、改善与增强生态系统服务,景感营造的作用与生态系统服务的效能相辅相成。最后基于生态系统服务的层级关联性与可持续发展的建设路径提出景感营造的实现途径：（1）生态系统服务供给的物质愿景与载体通过农业景观、大地艺术的建造方式体现物质的精神内涵;（2）生态系统服务提供的精神愿景与载体通过建设文化景观、展现生态文化的方式把精神内涵物质化。不同景感营造途径的构建其目的都是通过生态系统各类型服务之间的协同作用来实现景感的整体化表达从而增强可持续发展。本研究分析结果有助于为生态系统服务价值衡量和景感生态规划提供理论基础。