Seasonal variations in prey selection by estuarine black-headed gulls (Larus ridibundus)

The number of black-headed gulls (Larus ridibundus) in the Clyde Estuary is large. In summer the average density has reached 1350 gulls km^?2 and in winter 180 gulls km^?2. This paper compares prey selection and feeding efficiency in gulls during summer and winter on tidal flats, and considers how seasonal differences may be adaptations to cope with seasonal changes in prey availability.Gross and net rates of energy intake were highest in summer because gulls captured more of the polychaete N. diversicolor than the amphipod C. volutator. In winter, gulls selected for C. volutator and therefore an energetically less profitable diet. Throughout the year gulls selected more C. volutator relative to N. diversicolor than expected on energetic grounds and so apparently did not maximize potential net rate of energy intake.Gulls used three techniques to capture prey and made most intensive use of the ‘crouch’ technique. Crouching gulls attained a much higher net rate of energy intake than ‘upright’ or ‘paddling’ gulls.A log-linear model showed that (a) season, water depth and gull density determined feeding technique and (b) feeding technique and season independently determined foraging success and prey selection. Thus gull density and water depth acted on prey selection through imposed variations in feeding technique.Reasons for gulls selecting energetically unprofitable C. volutator and for the use of several distinct feeding techniques are discussed.     

Oceanographic influences on seabirds and cetaceans of the eastern tropical Pacific: A review

This paper is part of a comprehensive review of the oceanography of the eastern tropical Pacific, the oceanic region centered on the eastern Pacific warm pool, but also including the equatorial cold tongue and equatorial current system, and summarizes what is known about oceanographic influences on seabirds and cetaceans there. The eastern tropical Pacific supports on the order of 50 species of seabirds and 30 species of cetaceans as regular residents; these include four endemic species, the world’s largest populations for several others, three endemic sub-species, and a multi-species community that is relatively unique to this ecosystem. Three of the meso-scale physical features of the region are particularly significant to seabirds and cetaceans: the Costa Rica Dome for blue whales and short-beaked common dolphins, the Equatorial Front for planktivorous seabirds, and the countercurrent thermocline ridge for flocking seabirds that associate with mixed-species schools of spotted and spinner dolphins and yellowfin tuna. A few qualitative studies of meso- to macro-scale distribution patterns have indicated that some seabirds and cetaceans have species-specific preferences for surface currents. More common are associations with distinct water masses; these relationships have been quantified for a number of species using several different analytical methods. The mechanisms underlying tropical species–habitat relationships are not well understood, in contrast to a number of higher-latitude systems. This may be due to the fact that physical variables have been used as proxies for prey abundance and distribution in species–habitat research in the eastern tropical Pacific.Though seasonal and interannual patterns tend to be complex, species–habitat relationships appear to remain relatively stable over time, and distribution patterns co-vary with patterns of preferred habitat for a number of species. The interactions between seasonal and interannual variation in oceanographic conditions with seasonal patterns in the biology of seabirds and cetaceans may account for some of the complexity in species–habitat relationship patterns.Little work has been done to investigate effects of El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycles on cetaceans, and results of the few studies focusing on oceanic seabirds are complex and not easy to interpret. Although much has been made of the detrimental effects of El Niño events on apex predators, more research is needed to understand the magnitude, and even direction, of these effects on seabirds and cetaceans in space and time.     

含沙量对草地坡面径流泥沙沉积和水力特性的影响

通过室内模拟试验,在坡度为3°和9°、流量为20和60L/min条件下研究了不同浓度(0～350kg/m3)含沙水流流经草地的泥沙沉积过程及其水力学特性。结果表明,坡面泥沙沉积量随含沙量的增加而增大,3°时泥沙沉积率与含沙量呈正相关,而9°时沉积率与含沙量呈反势。坡度对泥沙沉积影响显著,而在相同坡度条件下,两种流量试验的泥沙沉积量无明显差异。相同坡面坡上部位流速小于坡下部位,且含沙量对坡面流速影响较小。在相同坡度和流量条件下,水流雷诺数随含沙量的增大而减小。3°时水流阻力系数和曼宁糙率均随含沙量的增加而增大,而9°时含沙量对阻力影响不明显,因此在土壤侵蚀较严重地区进行坡面水文过程演算时需考虑含沙量对缓坡糙率的影响。     

A New Genus and Species of Sapeornithidae from Lower Cretaceous in Western Liaoning, China

Sapeornithidae is a basal pygostylian family of Early Cretaceous primitive birds, in which only one genus and species, Sapeornis chaoyangensis, was reported before. This paper deals with a new genus and species of this family, Didactylornis jii gen. et sp. nov., which was unearthed from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation in western Liaoning. According to our phylogenetic analyses, both Didactylornis gen. nov. and Sapeornis form a sister group, which is basal to the clade formed by Confuciusornis and all the more derived birds, and more closely related to the short-tailed pygostylian birds than to the long-tailed avialian birds. The early history of pygostylian birds is poorly documented except for the studies of Confuciusornis and Sapeornis. The discovery ofDidactylornisjii gen. et sp. nov. adds the new material for the study on the early evolution of birds.     

Pesticide residues in birds at Lake Nakuru,Kenya

Specimens of three species of birds were collected from Lake Nakuru, Kenya, between September and October 1990. Samples of liver, kidney, muscle, fat and brain tissue were removed and analyzed for organochlorine pesticide residues. Fat was extracted and the content of three lindane (BHC/HCH) isomers (, and ), aldrin, heptachlor, heptachlorepoxide, endrin, dieldrin, DDD, DDE and DDT was determined. The samples contained varying residue levels of 12 organochlorine pesticides. No residues of 0, p'-DDD were detected. The most prevalent compounds were DDE and -BHC, found in 95.5 per cent and 66.4 per cent of the samples, respectively. The highest median residue concentration was 207 mg kg^–1×10^–3 of DDE in pelican fat tissue. White pelicanPelecanus onocrotalus, and the white-necked cormorant,Phalacrocorax carbo, showed greater concentrations of organochlorine residues than the lesser flamingo,Phoenicopterus minor. The mean DDE concentrations in pelican liver samples in 1970 and 1990 were 64 mg kg^–1×10^–3 and 274 mg kg^–1×10^–3, respectively. In cormorant liver samples the mean DDE concentration was 15 mg kg^–1×10^–3 in 1970 and 52 mg kg^–1×10^–3 in 1990. The mean DDE concentration in flamingo liver remained more or less similar at 2 mg kg^–1×10^–3 in 1970 and 1990.     

基于RS和GIS的青藏高原草地生态系统土壤水分保持功能及其经济价值评估——以生长季为例

根据生态系统服务功能理论,利用RS和G IS技术,以土壤含水量为基础因子,对青藏高原区草地生态系统的土壤水分保持功能及其价值的动态变化过程进行有效评价,以直接的货币形式反映出青藏高原主要草地类型的土壤水分保持功能的大小。通过计算和分析发现:(1)由于草地类型分布面积、单位面积保持量的影响,各种类型草地提供的土壤水分保持功能及其价值贡献率有较大差异,按照大小依次为:高寒草原类、高寒草甸类,高寒荒漠类、高寒草甸草原类和温性山地草甸类;(2)草地对土壤水分保持量及其价值呈现出较强的阶段性变化过程;(3)由于各种草地类型所处地理区域不同、草地本身各种自然特点和整体生态功能的不同,青藏高原草地生态系统提供的土壤水分保持功能及其经济价值呈现出明显的地域分布规律:自西北至东南逐渐降低。应该说,由于青藏高原地域、地理和独特气候等原因所致,本文计算得出的青藏高原草地生态系统土壤水分保持功能及其价值的具体数值不一定十分准确,但是能在一定程度上反映出土壤水分保持功能的强大及其在生长季中随时间变化的动态过程和基本规律(这种规律性结论与前人研究结论一致),这是一种在区域尺度上揭示草地生态系统土壤水分保持功能及其价值动态变化过程的方法尝试,这也是对动态评估生态服务功能的一种有益尝试。     

草原旅游发展的实践及空间格局研究

草原以其辽阔、坦荡的景观以及风土人情构成一类旅游目的地,世界上拥有大片草原的国家都非常重视草原旅游业的发展。我国草原旅游发展也较快,形成了不同空间类型、不同植被景观类型和不同人文与自然结合类型的旅游发展格局,其中又以内蒙古最为突出。但是,由于草原生态系统的脆弱性,决定了草原旅游发展存在脆弱性,因此,在开发中需要更加严格的科学规划和管理。     

川西北高原若尔盖草地沙化及湿地萎缩动态遥感监测

应用卫星遥感资料(MSS、TM及spot)对川西北高原若尔盖草地沙化及湿地萎缩的动态监测发现，自1966年至2000年的34年间，草地沙化面积增加307．7％，达到36760．9hm^2，占区域总面积的7．25％，平均每年扩大草地沙化面积816．0hm^2，年均递增率达4．22％。到2000年止，区域内有沙地5083．9hm^2，沙化草地31677．0hm^2。自1985～2000年的15a间，区内17个湖泊面积缩小842．0hm^2，减幅达38．9％，平均每年减少56．1hm^2，年均递减速度达3．34％，该区目前其余11个湖泊总面积仅为1323．1hm^2，只有15年前的61．1％。     

Seasonal variation of the soil seed bank of grasses in central Argentina as related to grazing and shrub cover

The objectives of this research were to (a) study seasonal variation of the seed bank of grasses in two areas with different grazing history, (b) analyse the effect of the presence of shrubs on the seed bank and (c) study seed viability and dormancy in buried seeds of Piptochaetium napostaense and Stipa tenuis. The seed density of grasses was in general low and showed seasonal variation. Most of the grasses showed maximum seed density in December when seed dispersal occurs. Shrub cover did not show a marked influence in seed accumulation. The relatively high number of damaged seeds suggests that predation may be an important factor in seed bank dynamics in the Caldenal. Seeds of dominant perennial forage grasses showed dormancy that could explain, at least in part, persistence of these species in spite of periodical disturbance.     

松嫩平原西部草原生态环境专家系统开发与应用

我国草原生态环境日益恶化,要求加快研究进度,而培养专家周期长,寻找草原环境评价专家的替代或复制品就成了当务之急。笔者在听取大量专家意见并详细分析了相关资料后,通过快速原型与增量式开发建立了松嫩平原西部草原生态环境专家系统。本专家系统使用功能强大的VisualC++完成数据库的建立、知识的表示、推理机的设计、解释的给出和人机交互界面的形成,实现了数据信息的可视化、图形显示、结果输出以及其它系统功能。它包含大量的松嫩平原西部草原现状资料、遥感解译图及系统的环境现状评价、适宜性评价、土地退化程度评价等模块。通过在长岭县、大安市的应用测试,证明该系统运行稳定,结论正确,应用前景广阔。