Urban niche dynamics of Kaifeng city

Niche theory is one of the most important ecological theories. It is widely applied to analyzing such phenomena as competition among, and evolution of, urban ecosystem func-tional modules. This paper describes a study concerning different functional modules of Kaifeng city urban ecosystem. Niche theory and techniques were used to analyze the changes of these functional modules in the period 1994–2003. The results showed that, in the period 1994–2003: (1) Niche value of the atmospheric environment and urban virescence modules increased, while niche value of the water environment and sound environment modules decreased; (2) niche value of the tertiary industry module increased, niche value of the secondary industry module decreased, while niche value of the primary industry module showed little change; and (3) niche value of the infrastructure, resource distribution, and production & social security modules increased, while niche value of the population module decreased. This study may contribute to macroscopic planning of urban functional modules, economic development, and environmental protection.     

GIS支持下山区县域农村居民点分布特征研究——以栖霞市为例

运用GIS空间分析技术、景观指数法和Voronoi图Cv值相结合的分析方法,研究了胶东山区栖霞市农村居民点的空间均匀性特征,并探讨了农村居民点在地形梯度上的分布特征。结果表明:全市农村居民点分布的Cv值为58.84%,空间分布表现为随机分布;唐家泊镇、松山镇、臧家庄镇和翠屏街道4个乡镇的农村居民点呈集群分布,其他乡镇为随机分布;农村居民点分布的优势区间在1~3地形位,随着地形位的增大农村居民点的优势度降低;农村居民点的面积、斑块数目和平均斑块面积随地形位的增大而减少,平均斑块形状指数和平均斑块分维数随地形位的增大而增大;同时,公路是影响山区农村居民点空间布局的重要因素。研究反映了栖霞市农村居民居住习惯的差异,为农村居民点的整治和规划提供了依据。     

快速城市化地区景观组分在地形梯度上的分布特征研究

采用地形位指数综合描述深圳市龙华地区的地形差异，并在此基础上，利用无量纲的分布指数对景观组分的空间分布特征进行了半定量分析，结果表明，地形位指数可以综合地反映地形条件的空间分布和差异信息，分布指数用于描述某各组分的实际分布与标准分布的差异，可以排险面积的干扰，为各种经较分析创造了条件，研究时段内龙华地区景观组分在地形位梯度上整体分布格局的复杂性显著增加，人为景观改造活动主要表现为一种中尺度土地利用结构调整行为，并有助于对不同地形条件下的土地利用进行加严格的分工，地形差异则是大尺度景观整体格局形成的基本骨架。     

Potential distributional changes of invasive crop pest species associated with global climate change

This study investigated the potential global distributional shifts of poikilothermic invasive crop pest species associated with climate change, aiming to understand if their overall global distributions will expand or contract, and how the species distributions will vary across different regions. An ecological niche modelling analysis was conducted for 76 species. The potential distributional changes of the species in 2050 and 2070 were scrutinized for two climate change scenarios, which were further examined across different temperature and precipitation ranges. Results showed that averages of the mean probabilities of presence of the 76 crop pest species were predicted to increase. Higher species turnovers were predicted mostly to occur in areas with increasing predicted species richness. Lower species turnovers, however, were predicted mostly to occur in areas with decreasing predicted species richness. Species richness increases were predicted to occur more often in currently lower temperature (annual mean temperature approximately < 21 °C) or lower precipitation (annual precipitation approximately < 1100 mm) regions. Areas with the current annual mean temperatures at around 27 °C and 7.5 °C, respectively, were predicted to experience the highest decrease and increase in species richness as the climate warms. In conclusion, climate change is likely to expand the pest species’ overall distribution across the globe. It could have more profound impacts on the species distributions of those regions where species richness increases are expected, by altering the species’ community compositions.     

芦山地震重灾区地形因子分析

地形条件与山地灾害的发育密切相关,是山地灾害危险性评价的重要因子.以四川省芦山县“4·20”7.0级强烈地震灾区的芦山、宝兴、天全3县为研究区,应用GIS技术计算研究区坡度、地形位指数与地形起伏度,通过流域水文分析方法实现宝兴县子流域划分并提取沟床纵比降,分析灾区地形因子特征,结合灾后崩塌滑坡遥感解译结果,探讨次生山地灾害分布与地形因子的关系.结果表明,研究区坡度大于25°的面积占区域总面积的73.89％,地形位指数大于0.4的区域面积占总面积的85.92％,起伏度大于500 m的占87.41％,各地形因子面积比率最大的区段分别为坡度35°～40°、地形位指数0.648 ～0.666、起伏度500～1 000 m;宝兴县子流域沟床纵比降数值集中于100‰ ～ 300‰范围内.坡度30°～50°的区域为崩塌滑坡的高发地段;崩塌滑坡的优势地形位处于地形位指数0.228～0.246和0.34～0.61之间的区域;起伏度在500～1 000m的区域为崩塌滑坡的集中分布区.研究结果可为灾害评估及灾后恢复重建提供参考依据.     

山地城镇土地利用的经济生态位分析及持续发展--以重庆市为例

土地利用变化已成为当今经济社会中最活跃和最普遍的现象,是土地利用类型从低生态位向高生态位转变的自组织行为。对不同层次土地利用经济生态位进行调控,才能实现土地的持续利用。本文在生态位理论和系统边界理论的基础上,运用土地利用经济生态位模型,定量分析了重庆市土地利用类型间相互作用的强度。研究表明,重庆市农用地与非农用地经济生态位差较大,经济发展和城市化进程更加剧了建设用地占用农用地的速度和强度。同时,从经济生态位的角度探讨了持续土地利用的方法。     

Temporal variability in the isotopic niches of rocky shore grazers and suspension‐feeders

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios were measured in rocky inter‐tidal suspension‐feeders (brown mussels and cape reef worms) and grazers (goat's eye limpets and cape sea urchins) to determine the influences of lifestyle and time on the diets of consumers. Niche partitioning between consumer species within the same feeding guild was assessed using isotopic niche area (a proxy for trophic niche). Specimens were collected monthly at a single site in Southeastern South Africa from July 2010 to June 2011. Temporal variations in isotopic signatures were generally greater in the suspension‐feeders compared with the grazers, isotopic niche widths were smaller in the suspension‐feeders and intra‐population variations in isotope signatures were larger in the grazers. No inter‐specific niche overlap (according to standard ellipse areas) was observed within either feeding guild unless standardization calculations were used. Temporal variations in the diets of all the consumers appeared uncoupled from temporal variability in the isotopic signatures of basal resources in the region; as such, shifts in the consumer diets most likely pertained to feeding behaviour and food preferences. Our data provide new insights into how syntopic rocky shore consumers coexist by partitioning their temporally variable food environment.     

土地经济生态位变化下的城乡空间景观格局表征——以广东省惠州市为例

土地利用变化对生物多样性和生态过程有着深刻的影响,与城乡景观格局变化密切相关。尝试将土地利用变化驱动力——土地经济生态位的理论和方法引入到景观生态学当中,为城乡空间景观格局空间表征提供新的方法。通过选取表征景观格局指标的破碎化指数、分形维数,利用Envi4.8、Arcmap10.0,Fragstasts4.1等软件,以广东省惠州市为例,在分析土地经济生态位与景观类型、景观指数之间的关系基础上,对土地经济生态位变化下的城乡空间景观格局进行表征。结果表明：不同景观土地面积数量的增减与该类型土地经济生态位升降具有一致性的规律,土地经济生态位上升,相应的景观土地面积增大,反之则减小;土地经济生态位越小,表征景观格局的景观破碎化指数、分维数指数越大,破碎化指数与分维数指数的增减与土地经济生态位升降表现出一致性的规律,土地经济生态位上升,相应的破碎化指数、分维数指数则增大,反之则减小;城乡空间景观格局变化的发生主要出现在土地经济生态位高的区域。土地经济生态位的变化是城乡景观格局变化的重要影响因子,能够很好解释城乡空间景观格局特征。     

Identifying minimal sets of survey techniques for multi-species monitoring across landscapes: an approach utilising species distribution models

Monitoring for species occupancy is often carried out at local scales, reflecting specific targets, available logistics, and funding. Problematically, conservation planning and management operate at broader scales and use information inventories with good scale coverage. Translating information between local and landscape scales is commonly treated in an ad hoc manner, but conservation decision-making can benefit from quantifying spatial-knowledge relationships. Fauna occupancy monitoring, in particular, suffers from this issue of scale, as there are many different survey methods employed for different purposes. Rather than ignoring how informative these methods are when predicting regional distributions, we describe a statistical approach that identifies survey combinations that provide the greatest additive value in mammal detection across different scales. We identified minimal sets of survey methods for 53 terrestrial mammal species across a large area in Australia (New South Wales (NSW), 800,000 km²) and for each of the 18 bioregions it encompasses. Utility of survey methods varied considerably at a landscape scale. Unplanned opportunistic sightings were the single largest source of species information (35%). The utility of other survey methods varied spatially; some were retained in minimal sets for many bioregions, while others were spatially restricted or unimportant. Predator scats, Elliot and pitfall trapping, spotlighting, and diurnal herpetofauna surveys were the most frequently included survey methods at a landscape scale. Use of our approach can guide identification of efficient combinations of survey methods, maximising detection and returns for monitoring. Findings and methodologies are easily transferable and are globally applicable across any taxa. They provide guidelines for managing scarce resources for regional ?monitoring programs, and improving regional strategic ?conservation planning.     

Spatial conservation planning framework for assessing conservation opportunities in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil

Historic rates of habitat change and growing exploitation of natural resources threaten avian biodiversity in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, a global biodiversity hotspot. We implemented a twostage framework for conservation planning in the Atlantic Forest. First, we used ecological niche modeling to predict the distributions of 23 endemic bird species using 19 climatic metrics and 12 spectral and radar remote sensing metrics. Second, we utilized the principle of complementarity to prioritize new sites to augment the Atlantic Forest's existing reserves. The best predictors of bird distributions were precipitation metrics (the seasonality of rainfall) and radar remote sensing metrics (QSCAT). The existing protected areas do not include 10% of the habitat of each of the 23 endemic species. We propose a more economical set of protected areas by reducing the extent to which new sites duplicate the biodiversity content of existing protected areas. There is a high concordance between the proposed conservation areas that we designed using computerized algorithms and Important Bird Areas prioritized by BirdLife International. Insofar as deforestation in the Atlantic Forest is similar to land conversion in other biodiversity hotspots, our methodology is applicable to conservation efforts elsewhere in the world.