Problems associated with tourism development in Southern Africa: The case of Transfrontier Conservation Areas

Tourism in Southern Africa is synonymous with the wildlife safari. In the post-colonial era the establishment of so-called ‘peaceparks’ that straddle the borders of states has come to be seen as a key not only to increasing tourism in the Southern African region, but also to the modernizing of conservation policies and the development of rural economies. This paper focuses on the global and continental presence of transfrontier conservation areas, the link between conservation and tourism development, and the current factors that constrain and influence the realization of an ‘African Dream’ — ‘establishment of the greatest animal kingdom’. The unstable political situation in Zimbabwe and how this negatively affects wildlife conservation and tourism in the Gonarezhou part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, serves as a case study. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Biotic consequences of a shift in invertebrate ecosystem engineers: Invasion of New Zealand rocky shores by a zone‐forming ascidian

The pervasive effects of invasive ecosystem engineers, that is those species that modify their environment, are well documented, but rarely have the broader impacts of one foundation invertebrate species being replaced by another been examined. In New Zealand, green‐lipped mussels, Perna canaliculus, commonly dominate wave‐exposed rocky shores. The recent appearance of an invasive ecosystem engineer, the ascidian Pyura doppelgangera, at the very northern tip of New Zealand now threatens to exclude these bivalves from this habitat. Here, we report major shifts in assemblages associated with the invader and chronicle its continued spread. We examined epibiota associated with clumps of mussels and clumps of Pyura from two rocky shore habitats—pools and emergent substrata at two locations. We detected some differences in species richness in biota associated with the two foundation species, but faunal abundance only differed between the locations. These minor changes were dwarfed by the shift in species composition within clumps of each foundation species. Molluscs, particularly gastropods, and crustaceans dominated the assemblage within mussels. In contrast, tubicolous polychaetes dominated the fauna associated with the ascidian. Sessile epifauna, notably barnacles and calcareous tube‐dwelling polychaetes, were common on mussels, but never encountered on the ascidian. Multivariate analysis revealed marked dissimilarity (>80%) between the characteristic mussel and ascidian faunas with virtually no overlap. This biotic shift overshadowed any differences between habitats and locations. The broader implications of these faunal shifts for local and regional patterns of biodiversity, as well as ecosystem function, remain unclear, but deserve further attention.     

Back to the future: reflections and directions of South African marine bioinvasion research

Biological invasions continue to increase around the world, with impacts on many coastal marine systems. Here we review the South African marine invasion literature which, despite the field being relatively new, has grown to have significant presence in both the local and international arenas. Of the 79 papers reviewed, 70% focused on the establishment and spread of alien species, with modes of transport and introduction largely overlooked. An emphasis was also apparent towards field studies, in particular survey work, with few experimental studies. The overwhelming majority of papers focused on a single species, the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, reflecting the scale of this invasion and the tractable nature of rocky shores as study systems. With the exception of this one species, the impacts of marine alien species have rarely been quantified. We suggest that future research extends the taxonomic coverage of present work and develops a better understanding of the mechanisms of introduction, establishment and spread of marine alien species. Through an experimental approach, the drivers of altered ecological patterns and processes resulting from invasions should be addressed, providing insight into associated impacts. This approach will maintain the local applicability and international relevance of South African marine invasion research.     

宁夏沙地主要灌木饲料林树种经济性状分析

经过对大量的野外调查数据的分析和研究，建立了宁夏沙地主要灌木饲料林树种毛条、柠条、沙柳、花棒丛生物量（鲜重）（地上部分）的多元线性回归方程，用半定位观测方法测定了这四个灌木树种丛生物量（鲜重）可食部分与不可食部分之比以及生物量的干鲜比，并给出了它们的营养成分。可为灌木饲料林的经营和管理提供理论依据。     

两次斜压锋生类强对流过程对比分析

利用常规气象观测资料、加密自动站资料及NCEP再分析资料,对2019年春季江西两次强对流天气(以下简称"3·21"、"4·9"过程)作对比分析。结果表明:(1)两次过程都由冷空气进入地面倒槽触发,"3·21"过程冷暖空气的辐合明显;"4·9"过程锋面辐合较弱,冷锋移动快。(2)"3·21"过程对流发生时湿层更深厚,对流层高层高值位涡库自上而下呈漏斗状延伸至400hPa,"干侵入"特征明显;"4·9"过程中低层整体湿度条件较差,中高层有明显干空气卷入,冷却蒸发作用导致的强下沉气流引发地面大风。(3)"3·21"过程回波有明显弓形特征,中气旋数量达9个;强冷空气从3km高度侵入,动量迅速下传,移速快,对大风等强对流预警有指示意义;"4·9"过程侵入冷空气浅薄,单体风暴VIL小,短临预警低估大风可能性大。     

环渤海地区海(咸)水入侵特征与防治对策

本文中阐述了环渤海沿海地区海（成）水入侵的主要方式、发展进程、影响因素等基本特征，提出海（成）水入侵的综合防治对策。研究区海（成）水入侵主要有面状、带状、脉状或树枝状和越流等4种入侵方式。气候、地形地貌、地质与水文地质是发生海（成）水入侵的基础条件，地下水超采等人类不合理工程经济活动是诱发海（成）水入侵的主要原因。通过调整产业结构、建立节水型社会体系，合理规划利用水土资源，建造阻成蓄淡工程，跨流域引水，以及建立健全监测预警系统等综合措施，防止海（成）水入侵的发展。     

Seismogenic destruction of the Kamenka medieval fortress, northern Issyk-Kul region, Tien Shan (Kyrgyzstan)

A paleoseismological study of the medieval Kamenka fortress in the northern part of the Issyk-Kul Lake depression, northern Tien Shan in Kyrgyzstan, revealed an oblique slip thrust fault scarp offsetting the fortification walls. This 700 m long scarp is not related to the 1911 Kebin Earthquake (Ms 8.2) fault scarps which are widespread in the region. As analysis of stratigraphy in a paleoseismic trench and archaeological evidence reveal, it can be assigned to a major twelfth century a.d. earthquake which produced up to 4 m of oblique slip thrusting antithetic to that of the nearby dominant faults. The inferred surface rupturing earthquake apparently caused the fortress destruction and was likely the primary reason for its abandonment, not the Mongolian–Tatar invasions as previously thought.     

北京地区脑卒中发病率的气象条件研究

根据北京抽样人群的脑卒中发病资料和前期气象资料的对比分析,揭示出不同年龄段人群发病率的年变化特点和多年变化趋势,讨论了前期气象因子与发病率的关系,并在此基础上设计对发病率有预测意义的分辨率为５级的统计模型,经Ｆ检验表明,预测效果较好。     

Ecophysiological characteristics of invasive Spartina alterniflora and native species in salt marshes of Yangtze River estuary,China

Biological invasions represent one of the significant components of global change. A comparative study of invaders and co-occurring natives is a useful approach to gaining insights into the invasiveness of exotic plants. Spartina alterniflora, a C₄ grass, is a widespread invader in the coastal wetlands in China and other regions of the world. We conducted a comparative study of S. alterniflora and native C₃ species, Phragmites australis and Scirpus mariqueter, in terms of their gas exchange and efficiencies in resource utilization. We tested the hypothesis that S. alterniflora has growth-related ecophysiological advantages over the natives in its non-native range, which result in its rapid growth and enhance its invasiveness. Photosynthesis, leaf area index (LAI), specific leaf area (SLA), and the efficiency of resource use (light, water, and nitrogen) were examined monthly for eight months in 2004. Overall, S. alterniflora had greater LAI, higher maximal net photosynthetic rate (A_max), and longer growing season than those of the native species. On average, the efficiencies of S. alterniflora in light, water, and nitrogen utilization were respectively 10.1%, 26.1%, and 33.1% higher than those of P. australis, and respectively 70.3%, 53.5%, 28.3% higher than those of S. mariqueter. However, SLA of S. alterniflora was significantly lower than those of P. australis and S. mariqueter. Although there was no general pattern in the relationship between invasiveness and plant photosynthetic types, in this study, most of the ecophysiological characteristics that gave S. alterniflora a competitive advantage in the Yangtze River estuary were associated with photosynthetic pathways. Our results offer a greater understanding of the relationship between invasiveness and plant photosynthetic type. Our results also indicate that LAI and the length of the photosynthetic season, which vary with habitats, are also important in invasion success.